India’s civil aviation safety regulator is expected to come out with a draft Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on dope testing by the end of this month, sources told businessline.According to sources, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to expedite the drafting process and complete it within a month.Last month, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu had said the DGCA is considering 100 per cent annual dope testing of pilots as part of efforts to strengthen aviation safety.Naidu had said the existing rules provide for dope testing of 10 per cent of pilots across the overall pilot network, while the DGCA is engaging with stakeholders on expanding the testing.“There are multiple ways of approaching this dope test. Right now, the rule says 10 per cent across the overall pilot network. DGCA is engaging, and one of the opinions from our side is that everyone has to go through it in the year at a random time,” he had said.The Minister said the proposed approach would need to balance safety concerns with the operational impact on airlines.“We have to see how all the stakeholders are going to respond to this because one is the safety aspect of it, and the second thing is the operational impact, which also has to be taken into consideration. So we are going to balance both of them,” Naidu had said.Besides, he had said the DGCA is also assessing the possible impact of introducing mandatory annual testing for every pilot.“But if we were to implement 100 per cent testing, where every pilot has to undergo a dope test at least once a year, what impact would that have? The DGCA is strategising that,” he added.The development comes days after an official preliminary report into the Air India AI2379 altitude-upset incident flagged multiple issues, including the loss of all three hydraulic systems during cruise, brief disengagement of the autopilot and a ‘non-negative’ psychoactive-substance test involving the pilot-in-command (PIC).Nevertheless, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report released last week did not establish any link between the psychoactive-substance finding and the altitude upset.However, the AAIB described the confirmation of psychoactive-substance use as a “serious concern” and recommended appropriate action by the DGCA on priority to prevent abuse of such substances.Following the report, Air India terminated the PIC’s employment with immediate effect. The airline said the action was in line with its zero-tolerance approach to violations of safety, fitness or regulatory requirements.Meanwhile, the AAIB had noted that the flight crew, despite being apprised of injuries in the cabin, decided to continue to Delhi instead of diverting to the nearest en route airport. The crew subsequently sought medical priority from Delhi Air Traffic Control.The Airbus A320 was cruising at 36,000 feet when its flight-control system detected a loss of pressure in the green hydraulic system at 04:02:43 UTC, according to the report. Four seconds later, the system detected losses in the blue and yellow hydraulic systems. The autopilot disengaged at 04:02:48 UTC, followed by a stall warning that lasted two seconds. At this point, the co-pilot, who was the pilot flying, initially responded before the PIC took over the controls.Consequently, the aircraft initially gained 372 feet and subsequently lost 292 feet from its assigned flight level. The hydraulic systems recovered shortly thereafter, followed by the recovery of the flight control surfaces and the return of the aircraft to normal operating condition.Notably, the aircraft had 145 people on board, including 137 passengers, six cabin crew members, and two flight crew members. Overall, Twenty passengers and four cabin crew members sustained injuries, with four of those injured requiring hospitalisation. The aircraft suffered damage mainly to the overhead stowage bins and ceiling panels.More Like ThisPublished on September 10, 2026