Transport Canada has written to Air India demanding a full investigation after a Boeing 777 captain scheduled to fly AI186 from Vancouver to Delhi on 23 December 2025 failed two breathalyser tests and was removed from duty . The incident came to light on 2 January 2026, when Reuters obtained the regulator’s letter that labels the episode a “serious matter” and requests corrective-action details by 26 January.
Air India confirmed that an alternate, reserve pilot operated the 14-hour flight with a three-hour delay and stated it maintains “zero tolerance” for alcohol violations. India’s Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already grounded the aviator pending enquiry and recently sent separate warning notices to four other Air India pilots for unrelated safety breaches involving deferred maintenance snags.
The episode has rattled corporate travel buyers because Vancouver–Delhi is a critical non-stop link for Indian technology firms and natural-resource companies with Canadian subsidiaries.
![Canada asks Air India to investigate alcohol-positive pilot; DGCA warns of wider safety lapses]()
Corporate travel departments scrambling to rebook passengers may also confront visa validity questions—especially for executives holding short-window e-authorisations. Services like VisaHQ can rapidly extend or obtain India visas online, furnish compliance guidance and integrate with company travel portals, helping minimise hassles when itineraries shift unexpectedly (https://www.visahq.com/india/).
Under DGCA rules tightened in 2025, any pilot who fails three alcohol tests permanently loses their licence; a second offence triggers a three-year suspension. Canadian law, meanwhile, bans flight duty within 12 hours of alcohol consumption.
Mobility managers are now re-auditing airline safety records in vendor-selection matrices, while risk-management consultants advise companies to brief travelling staff on potential delays arising from crew substitutions and intensified ramp checks.
Analysts say the incident underscores the heightened scrutiny Air India faces after its June 2025 Dreamliner crash and the carrier’s ongoing integration with Vistara. Enhanced fatigue-risk management and stricter substance testing are expected to be central themes in Air India’s upcoming safety-management-system revision.
Air India confirmed that an alternate, reserve pilot operated the 14-hour flight with a three-hour delay and stated it maintains “zero tolerance” for alcohol violations. India’s Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already grounded the aviator pending enquiry and recently sent separate warning notices to four other Air India pilots for unrelated safety breaches involving deferred maintenance snags.
The episode has rattled corporate travel buyers because Vancouver–Delhi is a critical non-stop link for Indian technology firms and natural-resource companies with Canadian subsidiaries.
Corporate travel departments scrambling to rebook passengers may also confront visa validity questions—especially for executives holding short-window e-authorisations. Services like VisaHQ can rapidly extend or obtain India visas online, furnish compliance guidance and integrate with company travel portals, helping minimise hassles when itineraries shift unexpectedly (https://www.visahq.com/india/).
Under DGCA rules tightened in 2025, any pilot who fails three alcohol tests permanently loses their licence; a second offence triggers a three-year suspension. Canadian law, meanwhile, bans flight duty within 12 hours of alcohol consumption.
Mobility managers are now re-auditing airline safety records in vendor-selection matrices, while risk-management consultants advise companies to brief travelling staff on potential delays arising from crew substitutions and intensified ramp checks.
Analysts say the incident underscores the heightened scrutiny Air India faces after its June 2025 Dreamliner crash and the carrier’s ongoing integration with Vistara. Enhanced fatigue-risk management and stricter substance testing are expected to be central themes in Air India’s upcoming safety-management-system revision.
