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Pilots at Singapore airports to be randomly tested for alcohol level before flights: CAAS

(Getty Images file photo)
(Getty Images file photo)

Additional measures to help mitigate the risk of pilots operating under the influence of alcohol will take effect this Sunday (31 March), said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Thursday.

Among them is the random alcohol testing of pilots at Changi and Seletar airports under the Airport Alcohol Testing Programme (AATP).

All five Singapore Air Operator Certificate holders – Singapore Airlines (SIA), Jetstar Asia Airways, Scoot Tigerair, SilkAir (Singapore) and ST Aerospace Engineering – will also have to implement a programme to manage pilots with problematic use of alcohol by 1 May.

The Airline Alcohol Management Programme (AAMP) must include an alcohol rehabilitation programme for pilots. All foreign airlines are strongly encouraged to implement programmes like the AAMP, said the CAAS.

The introduction of these measures comes after an SIA pilot failed an alcohol test in Australia before his flight in September last year, leading to the cancellation of a Melbourne-Wellington (New Zealand) service. The pilot has since been fired.

Following the incident, Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min said in Parliament last October that the CAAS would review “regulations and procedures to more strongly deter such behaviour”.

Under the AATP, randomly selected pilots will be subjected to an initial test using a portable breathalyser by a qualified testing officer in a non-public area.

A confirmation test will be performed using a forensic-standard breathalyser if the pilot fails the initial one.

Pilots found to exceed the alcohol abstinence standard of 0.02 grams per 210 litres of breath will be immediately removed from flight duties, with the airline concerned notified.

“This limit has been determined based on international best practices. It is equivalent to a ‘zero tolerance’ standard, with a small allowance for the potential presence of alcohol in the breath due to other factors such as medication or mouthwash,” said the CAAS.

Under the Air Navigation Act, pilots who fly under the influence of alcohol could face a jail term of up to two years and a maximum fine of $50,000, or both, for the first offence. Repeat offenders could face a jail term of up to five years, a maximum fine of $100,000 or both.

Pilots who refuse to provide a breath alcohol sample will face similar punishments.

“The safety of aircraft operations, passengers and crew on board is paramount. The CAAS and the aviation community take a serious view of pilots operating aircraft under the influence of alcohol,” said CAAS’ director-general Kevin Shum. “The new alcohol testing and management programmes will help ensure that pilots’ ability to operate aircraft is not impaired by alcohol.”

There is currently no standardised limit around the world on how much alcohol pilots can consume before they fly.

For instance, the SIA Group and Jetstar Asia currently require their pilots to abstain from alcohol 10 hours before a flight.

Last November, Japan Airlines lengthened the period of a drinking ban for pilots before a flight to 24 hours, following media reports that its pilots had failed breathalyser tests 19 times since August 2017.

In the US, pilots must have eight hours between “bottle to throttle”.

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