3 more airports for safety licence

Applications have been submitted to the DGCA for safety standard of Kolkata, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram airports.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is in the process of issuing licenses to three airports based on their security compliance after granting similar licenses to those in Delhi and Mumbai.

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"The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has submitted applications for airports at Kolkata, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram. The paper work is on. We are inspecting these airports as part of the due process to grant them licenses," said DGCA's director general Kanu Gohain.

Under the new international aviation standards, individual airports have to avail licenses on the basis of their maintaining safety and security standards. Mr Gohain said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) also audits airports and all related facilities.

"India last year got the top most level of 'A' audit grade. We want to maintain that this year as well," he told reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference here.

To questions on increasing the number of flying hours for pilots from 1,000 to 1,200 hours per annum to improve productivity, Mr Gohain said: "We will take a concerted view only after any such proposal comes. We will have to keep in mind international practices relating to flight duty time limitation (FDTL) as also the fatigue factor. But modern aircraft are also easier to operate."

He said the decision will be taken after consultations with global bodies like ICAO. The FDTL regulations govern the pilots' hours of work among other things and has been a crucial issue between pilots unions and the airlines the world over.