Notices to 150 GoAir pilots for duty-time breach

Over 150 GoAir pilots were issued notices by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday to explain why they have exceeded their flight duty time limits (FDTL). The FDTL rules limits the number of hours crew members are allowed to fly at a stretch. This is to reduce fatigue among them that could adversely affect safety.

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GoAir has about 600 pilots, which implies around 25% of them were served notices. “More than 150 pilots have been issued notices for working for consecutive nights than mandated and not availing weekly offs. For base mismatch, head of operations has also been issued notice,” said a top DGCA officer. Base mismatch refers to the mismanagement by the airline by having difference between allocated home base to crew and the home base as reflected in their schedule. DGCA also issued notices to the airline’s management for recurrent flight delays.

“The airline is in contact with the DGCA and will be submitting a response. GoAir will take appropriate actions to abide by the directives,” a GoAir spokesperson said.