Airlines may need to hire more staff under new safety norms
New Delhi: Indian carriers may soon have to hire more pilots and crew to comply with a new rule that mandates more rest for flight crew to prevent fatigue, a reason cited for the decade’s worst plane crash in India last year that killed 158 people.
“Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will issue the rules and put it up for consultation anytime now. I think it should be applicable in the next three months,†civil aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi said, adding the new directives will also tighten control over airline managements. “It will address a number of issue like rest, sleep inertia, fatigue and airline management issues. â€
The civil aviation ministry has cleared the proposal this month, he said.
The plan to reduce pilot fatigue comes after investigations into the fatal crash of Air India Express flight IX-812 in Mangalore on 22 May revealed the flight commander slept through 30% of the flight.
The move will also raise the cost of running airlines as the carriers have to increase the number of pilots and cabin crew for each aircraft. DGCA is preparing the draft guidelines and the details haven’t been made public.
24/02/11 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint