HC dismisses pilots' plea on relaxed duty hours

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today rejected a plea filed by a group of pilots seeking reduction in working hours through implementation of Directorate General of Civil Aviation's newly-framed rules on the issue.
The court dismissed a petition filed by pilot associations against the DGCA's decision not to implement newly-framed rules, Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) 2007, that proposed limiting the pilot's duty hours.
The petitioners had moved court opposing the civil aviation regulator's decision to continue following the 1992 rules, instead of bringing in force newly-framed regulations, regarding pilots' duty hours limitations.
A Division bench of Justices R M S Khandeparkar and Amjad Sayed was hearing the petition filed by pilots of Jet, Air India and Indian Airlines, opposing the DGCA's decision to keep its newly-framed 2007 rules in abeyance.
After the new rules were framed, the DGCA received complaints from airlines, so it decided to put them on hold, and formed a new committee to amend them. In the meantime, the DGCA decided that the 1992 rules would prevail.
But pilots' associations claimed that the 2007 rules were shunned because they lessened duty hours, and airlines would have had to hire more pilots in the event of these being implemented.
14/08/08 Sahara Samay

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Aug 2008, Safety Aug 2008