Flying hrs: AI told to follow DGCA rule

Pilots of ailing national carrier Air India (AI) will now have to fly as many times as their counterparts in private airlines.

Pilots of ailing national carrier Air India (AI) will now have to fly as many times as their counterparts in private airlines.

HT Image

Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh has directed AI to immediately implement the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) norms on Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) for its pilots and crew members. Flying hours of the crew in all domestic airlines, except AI, were regulated as per DGCA rules.

The move, that would ensure better utilisation of pilots, follows a report in the HT on September 5 on how AI pilots, who are the best paid in the industry, had cushy deals with the management that guaranteed them lesser flying hours, longer rest periods and huge perks.

While pilots of private carriers operate quick return flights to destinations in the Middle East, Singapore, Bangkok and come back, AI pilots are accommodated in five star hotels and fly after a day or two.

For example, a pilot who flies a plane to Dubai on Monday takes rest there for two days and returns to India on Thursday.

The aviation minister's decision is also in line with the Dharmadhikari Committee Report on AI, which had recommended that pilots abide by their licensing conditions and also aviation rules in the matter of actual flying hours.

"Due to the above constraints the average utilisation of pilots in AI was limited. The direction to AI to follow the DGCA guidelines will lead to optimum utilisation of its pilots and crew members and will reduce the requirements of pilots and cabin crew for a given number of aircrafts ...," a ministry statement said.