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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday denied permission for a private aircraft to take off from Delhi for violating safety norms. The DGCA also held up two flights, one of Larsen & Toubro and the other of Poonawalla Aviation company, citing violation of safety norms in Mumbai.
In another development, the aviation regulator dismissed the Reliance Industries pilot who was suspended on Saturday for flying without a licence.
According to DGCA sources, a Hawker 800 XP of SRC Aviation, which was to fly from Delhi to Colombo, was not allowed to take off for several hours as officials, conducting the checks found several safety violations, including absence of life jackets.
These tough measures come at a time when private planes and helicopters are being heavily used as charters to fly political leaders across the country for election campaign.
Last Saturday, DGCA officials had conducted surprise inspections and grounded a Reliance Commercial Dealers Limited 14-seater Falcon 900EX and suspended its pilot, now dismissed. The aircraft was released after the deficiencies were removed. A Global Express BD 700 aircraft (VT-JSB) belonging to Jindal Steel and Power was also held up last week for not carrying operations manuals or the lists of safety and emergency equipment on board.
The DGCA has stepped up safety and surveillance checks of aircraft on the heels of India’s safety rating coming under scrutiny and being downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Additionally, to address concerns over shortage of staff available with the country’s aviation regulator for carrying out safety checks, DGCA has completed induction of a large number of Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs). Notably, four FOIs hired by the regulator were pilots with Kingfisher Airlines.
A senior DGCA official said: “We already have six FOIs and have hired another 29. The pilots we have recruited now will undergo training. We should have our findings and progress report on the concerns raised by FAA ready by May/June this year.”
In a bid to improve the efficiency of air operations, the DGCA also decided to enhance the period of pilots’ licence renewal from two to five years, subject to the airlines and the cockpit crew meeting all other requirements, such as medical checks. In India, a commercial pilot licence (CPL) needs to be renewed every two years. In the US or the UK, it is issued once for perpetual use, though there are regular proficiency, medical and other tests which the pilots have to undergo. The decision was taken in a meeting between DGCA officials and senior executives of airlines in India. DGCA officials also said activities such as pre-flight breath analysis would be carried out by a paramedic or a trained science graduate, instead of a registered medical practitioner as is the practice now.
Airlines had raised issues such as the frequency of medical and proficiency checks of pilots with DGCA, saying the cockpit crew have to be taken off duty for a significant period to fulfil these legal requirements and it affects airline operations. These periodic checks are mandatory requirements for pilots and cabin crew to retain their licence and continue with their professional activities. Pilots above 40 years of age have to undergo medical tests twice a year and it takes a considerable time. Besides, these checks are conducted stringently by Air Force medical teams.
