Islamabad, Aug 1 (IANS): The management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has made it mandatory for its cabin crew to take a breathalyser test to know how much alcohol they have in their blood before they are permitted to board a flight.

In a directive issued by the PIA's medical division on Friday, which came into effect immediately, all the cabin crew must undergo medical check-up before boarding the flights, reports Dawn news.

The notification said the tests would be carried out in the cabin crew briefing rooms by flight surgeon/medical officer or the ground staff supervised by the flight surgeon.

It said all the operating cabin crews are required to undergo the test before operating flights on a "must basis".

The move came after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) noticed smoking in the cockpit and the cabin and issued directives to ensure enforcement of SOPs against it.

Earlier, the CAA used to conduct tests of pilots and cockpit crew only, and now the flag carrier would make it mandatory to test its air hosts as well.