T. Narayan/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File
Tarmac at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India.
CNN
—
You’d be hard-pressed to find an airline that doesn’t treat drunk-driving pilots as a potentially punishable offense. But new regulations proposed in India could also take action against pilots who use perfume.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which oversees India’s aviation industry, recently proposed an update to the alcohol consumption ordinance.
The guidelines already mention something other than alcoholic beverages that can cause a positive breath test result: mouthwash. However, a new section (shown here in bold) specifically mentions perfumes.
It says: “Crew members must not ingest any drugs/preparations or use substances such as mouthwash or toothpaste gel.”Products containing perfume or alcohol. This can result in a positive breath analysis test. ”
The text continues: “Crew members receiving such medications must consult with an on-board physician before performing flight missions.”
Perfume may contain trace amounts of alcohol, but it is unclear whether wearing perfume on the body will cause a false-positive breath test.
DGCA’s official aviation safety requirements were ratified in August 2015. The proposed addition is open for public comment until Oct. 5.
Pilot drinking can sometimes be a problem in the aviation industry.
In 2018, Japan Airlines pilot Katsutoshi Sanekawa said: sentenced to 10 months in prison A breath test conducted immediately after takeoff revealed that his blood alcohol concentration was nine times the legal limit.
And in the United States, a Delta Airlines pilot named Gabriel Lyle Schroeder… I was escorted off a crowded plane. It was suspected that he had been drinking before takeoff.
“Delta’s alcohol policy is the strictest in the industry and we have zero tolerance for violations,” an airline representative told CNN at the time.