Indian Pilots Guild ready to fund study on fatigue

Bangalore: With studies indicating that up to eight per cent of all accidents are caused by fatigue, the Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG) which represents the international pilots of India’s national carrier Air India, has volunteered to partially fund a study on the factor.
Members of the IPG are the only ones in India who fly ultra long haul (12-14 hour) flights, like flights between India and the United States.
The guild’s offer comes in the wake of a series of meetings during the last week of October, initiated by the Indian civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) with civil airline stake holders, including pilot associations and airline owners.
The DGCA which is facing a deadline by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) — a regulatory body under the UN — for all member states to formulate fatigue prevention rules that are founded on a “knowledge-based, scientific approach,” has proposed a review of the regulations that govern duty and rest periods.
Speaking to The Hindu, senior members of the IPG said the study should be conducted through impartial, independent bodies such as the Indian Air Force’s medical establishments, using doctors who are aviation medicine specialists.
The guild is of the view that the findings could “help resolve the historical conflict between the flight safety concerns of pilots and the commercial interests of airline operators.”
01/11/09 Ravi Sharma/The Hindu

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Categories: NACIL Nov 2009, Safety Nov 2009