Information on Alcohol Testing


With the application of Regulation (EU) 2018/1042 amending Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Member States are required to carry out alcohol tests on flight and cabin crew of operators as of 14 February 2021.

Such tests serve to increase aviation safety; they affect crew members in both commercial and non-commercial flight operations.

Alcohol testing is carried out by the specially trained inspectors of Austro Control GmbH within the framework of ARO.RAMP in the course of flight operations oversight.

The alcohol tests are carried out with appropriate initial test devices and, in the case of a positive initial test, with a calibratable and calibrated breath alcohol analyser.

The breath alcohol concentration must not exceed 0.1 mg/l. This corresponds to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.2 g/l (0.2 per mille). Above this alcohol concentration, the condition of the person tested is in any case considered to be impaired by alcohol. In this case, the crew member shall not be allowed to continue his or her duty. If the crew member refuses to take the alcohol test, he or she shall also be excluded from duty.

Without prejudice to the follow-up measures according to ARO.RAMP or the exclusion from duty as well as special safety measures such as the prohibition of flight operations, there are also consequences under licensing law and administrative penalty law in the event that the alcohol limit is exceeded.
The results of the alcohol tests carried out are entered (without personal data) in the EASA SAFA database; along with this, the competent authorities and entities of the other Member States are also informed. Alcohol tests with a result exceeding the limit are also brought to the attention of the operators.

The crew member tested will receive written confirmation of the test result in the event of an alcohol limit being exceeded.

Legal basis:
Art. 4 and Part ARO, Subpart RAMP (in particular ARO.RAMP.106 as well as ARO.RAMP.135) of Regulation (EU) No. 965/2012, § 20i AOCV 2008, § 171 LFG.
 
Please also refer to the leaflet of Austro Control GmbH on alcohol testing, which is based on the requirements of EASA: LINK