Aviation industry divided over working hours for pilots

Mumbai: The aviation industry and analysts are divided over the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision to stay a Bombay High Court order, which quashed the guidelines issued by the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) on working hours for pilots. The SC had asked pilots to comply with a DGCA circular, which specified that they can operate three flights within nine hours, instead of two flights in nine hours as ordered by the HC.
According to senior industry executives, a pilot can follow the DGCA guidelines in the domestic sector, but it is different to comply with them while flying on international routes. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) is likely to decide on its future action this week. The stand of the private airlines, led by Jet Airways, is not known yet.
An e-mail query sent to Jet Airways did not elicit a response. On domestic routes, a pilot flies for four days and three nights, followed by three days off. He is then assigned another four days of flying. This adds up to about 85 hours a month of flying, and the total time away from base each month is about 300 hours, said an ex-pilot, who used to work with a national carrier.
The US Federal Aviation Administration limits commercial pilots to flying eight hours a day, 30 hours in seven days, 100 hours a month and 1,000 hours a year. Aviation analysts said the industry should be able to sort out this issue on its own keeping in mind the safety factor.
25/07/08 Mithun Roy/Economic Times

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jul 2008