Pilots upset over flight duty norms

New Delhi: A high-level committee set up by the civil aviation ministry is likely to submit a report by the end of this month on new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots, that will deal with the problem of pilot shortage in the country. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had recently issued orders that kept FDTL norms for pilots (that were issued in July 2007) in abeyance while reverting to the FDTL norms that existed before that, leading to discontent among many of the pilots.
A senior civil aviation ministry source said, "We will recommend new FDTL norms for pilots that will help in dealing with the issue of pilot shortage without compromising air safety in any way." Ministry sources acknowledged that there were many among pilots who were unhappy but said that the new FDTL norms would be at par with international norms. Pilots however allege that some of the airlines facing serious pilot shortage had appealed to the government for new FDTL norms but the ministry has stated that the move was resorted to, after taking into account all factors.
The civil aviation sector in India is currently facing a shortage of about 1,000 pilots and pilots allege that some of the airlines have had to ground aircraft due to shortage of pilots.
09/06/08 Howrah News Service

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jun 2008