Air India's outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson summoned by civil aviation ministry after Phuket-Delhi flight dropped 300 feet, injuring 17, as confirmatory drug test on pilot pending.
Alpha Score of 37 reflects weak overall profile with weak momentum, poor value, moderate quality, moderate sentiment.
India's civil aviation ministry has summoned Air India's outgoing chief executive, Campbell Wilson, over the Aug. 4 Phuket-Delhi flight that lost about 300 feet of altitude and injured 17 people, officials said.
The Airbus A320 was cruising at 37,000 feet when it dropped roughly 300 feet in seconds before the crew recovered. The 137 passengers and eight crew landed safely in New Delhi. Eight passengers and four cabin crew were taken to hospitals. The ministry classified the event as a “serious incident” and handed the probe to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
Airbus is sending experts to New Delhi on Tuesday to assist investigators, the company said. Air India said it is “fully cooperating” and has notified the manufacturer.
Both pilots have been removed from the flying roster. The pilot-in-command’s initial psychoactive substance screening test “indicated a result requiring confirmatory testing,” the ministry said Sunday. Samples have been sent for analysis. Final results are pending.
The incident adds to a punishing stretch for Air India. The carrier is still recovering from the June 2025 crash of Flight 171, a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner that went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 242 passengers and crew and 19 people on the ground. That disaster, the deadliest in the carrier’s history, triggered a wave of regulatory scrutiny and management changes. Boeing, whose 787 was involved in the crash, carries an Alpha Score of 45, reflecting mixed operational and safety metrics.
Last week, Air India named former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam as its new CEO. He replaces Wilson, whose tenure focused on modernizing the fleet and improving on-time performance. The government summons signals the regulator is taking a hard line on safety compliance as the carrier tries to rebuild passenger confidence, officials said.
Drafted by a large language model from the source reporting linked above, then screened by automated publishing checks. It is not read by a journalist before publication. Some articles cite our Alpha Score. Verify prices and figures against the original source. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.