The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is planning to bring in a new law banning the use of perfumes for pilots.
The law is related to the aviation regulator’s strict alcohol rules where it has already banned products with alcoholic content.
The aviation regulator has called for comments from stakeholders on amending the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), which is issued under the provisions of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, as regards safety regulations.
Why is DGCA Planning to Ban Perfume
India’s aviation regulator recently proposed to update its rules regarding the consumption of alcohol. As per reports, the DGCA has already banned alcoholic drinks like mouthwash that could cause a positive breath test, according to The Hindu.
As a part of the rule, the regulator has also specifically mentioned perfume to avoid a false positive in the breath analyser test.
“No crew member shall consume any drug/formulation or use any substance such as mouthwash/tooth gel/perfume or any such product which has alcoholic content. This may result into positive breath analyser test. Any crew member who is undergoing such medication shall consult the company doctor before undertaking flying assignment,” the proposed legislation stated.
However, it is unclear whether perfumes containing small amounts of alcohol can trigger a false positive breath test in a person wearing it on one’s body.
India’s Touch Laws for Pilots
India has very strict alcohol rules for the airline crew. As per the Civil Aviation Requirements guidelines, all flight crew members and cabin crew members operating scheduled/charter/non-scheduled flights originating from India will be subjected to pre-flight breath-analyser examination at first departure airport during a flight duty period.
Even the smallest trace of alcohol is considered a positive result and can cause an immediate three-month licence suspension. Moreover, the rules further state that all the operators shall ensure that the breath-analyser examination is recorded on camera and recordings preserved for six months.
The DGCA also mandates a 12-hour gap between flying an aircraft and the intake of an alcoholic beverage.
In 2022, 41 pilots and 116 cabin crew had their licences temporarily suspended after testing positive for alcohol. In 2021, 19 pilots failed pre-flight alcohol tests.
Pilots who fail the alcohol test the first time are barred from flying for three months, while second-time offenders are barred for three years and the flying license is permanently revoked if a pilot fails the test a third time.
The DGCA states that some common products could trigger a false-positive result. Therefore, the rule change could close a legal loophole used by crew members to avoid a licence suspension.
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