INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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Air India is the country's state-owned airline
India's aviation
regulator has barred a senior pilot from flying for three years after he failed an alcohol test.Captain Arvind Kathpalia, who is also the
Director of Operations at state-owned Air India, was to command the Delhi-London flight on Sunday.A substitute pilot was brought in after he
Capt Kathpalia has denied the charges against him.Aviation authorities say he was suspended for three months for a similar offence last year
"The privileges of his licence have been suspended for a period of three years from 11 November as per the provisions of applicable
regulations," aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.The airline said he had been grounded.On
Sunday, Capt Kathpalia said he was a victim of internal fighting within Air Indian and that he would challenge the results of the
tests.Aviation rules prohibit pilots from drinking 12 hours before flying and pre-flight alcohol tests are mandatory for them.In January,
the DGCA barred for five years two pilots - a man and a woman - who fought inside the cockpit.The pilots were then fired by the private Jet
Airways after the incident on a London-Mumbai flight.
