Pilots' flying time to be increased by 50-100 hr annually

New Delhi: In a bid to tide over the massive pilot shortage the country is facing, the flying hours for pilots are going to be increased marginally to see that they don't get stressed while being able to fly more. Currently pilots are allowed to fly for a maximum of 1,000 hours annually with a monthly cap of 125 hours. Now the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is revising the flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms that could increase flying hours between 50 to 100 hours a year. This would allow all airlines to fly more.
"The new norms are going to be finalised shortly. They have been decided after several rounds of discussions with medical and aviation experts as safety cannot be compromised for increasing capacity," said highly placed sources. Indian currently has about 2,600 pilots, including 600 foreign pilots.
Pilot shortage is badly affecting airlines expansion plans. A leading airline's official said some carriers are now deferring their deliveries. The main problem is of getting experienced captains as an eight-month training is adequate to make a newcomer a co-pilot. The main problem is that the shortage means airlines don't have pilots for hold.
29/06/07 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: careers Jun 2007, General Aviation Jun 2007, Safety Jun 2007