New Delhi, Aug. 18 -- The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Tuesday submitted a formal representation to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding the potential introduction of oral-fluid testing as a complementary method under the existing psychoactive-substance testing framework for pilots.

In a letter, the FIP stated that the increasing scale of Indian aviation operations warrants additional testing methodologies to increase capacity and reduce operational disruption.

Currently, the DGCA framework under Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 5 requires random urine-based testing with at least 10% annual coverage for applicable personnel.

As per the letter, while the urine-testing system is established, oral fluid ...