Pilots forced to skip alcohol test, still end up derostered

New Delhi: Flying on time to ensure passengers are not left stranded abroad and also to save huge financial loss for the airline, cost two Air India (domestic) pilots dear last week. The pilots had to fly an empty Airbus A-330 from Jaipur to Medina to get close to 300 Haj pilgrims back to India. But with no facility for getting pre-flight alcohol test done in Jaipur, they flew out only to find themselves derostered later.
Then on Monday, another crew supposed to operate the same flight from Jaipur to Medina refused to fly as they cited the fate of their colleagues. They first insisted on special permission for breathalyzer exemption to avoid being derostered, and then flew only after getting the exemption. This flight normally operates on the Mumbai-Medina-Jaipur-Mumbai route and does not involve crew change in the Pink City. So pilots are routinely checked for alcohol in Mumbai itself. But last week, the route was changed to Mumbai-Medina-Jaipur-Medina for operational reasons. Another set of crew had to be flown in from Mumbai to operate this flight.
25/12/09 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: Air India Domestic Dec 2009, Airports Dec 2009, NACIL Dec 2009