DGCA asks foreign pilots to learn English

Bangalore: Recently, a Russian pilot flying an Indian airline misunderstood the instructions in English from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and crossed the path of another aircraft and nearly sparked off a mid-air catastrophe over Mumbai.
Concerned over the language hiccups, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is planning to conduct English language proficiency tests for pilots as well as ATC personnel. “We have also received a directive from International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) mandating these tests,” A K Sharan, director (Training and Licensing) of DGCA told DNA.
ICAO directed aviation authorities around the world to go in for additional training for pilots and ATC officials by March 2008 after finding that nearly 70 per cent of the safety reports it receives speak of communication problems and poor English.
Though the problem is global, it is especially serious in India which depends heavily on foreign pilots because of paucity of domestic talent, according to a DGCA official.
21/08/06 Bhargavi Kerur/Daily News & Analysis

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