Air India on auxiliary power as pilots threaten

Chennai: Air India pilots have threatened to go on strike if aircraft were flown without Auxiliary Power Units (APUs).
It has been a year since Air India started operating aircraft without APU. Its absence not only puts lives at risk but also hikes the cost of the flight, as aircraft without APU have to take a longer overland route to avoid turbulence over high seas.
An APU is a gas turbine engine fitted at the tail-end of an aircraft. Its primary use is to provide ample power to start the main engines and also serves as backup when the engine fails.
“In emergency situations, the first thing a pilot does is to start the APU. About four to five of our A320 aircraft don’t have it. Instead of getting spares, the management has taken a waiver from the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) to operate aircraft without the unit for 120 days. The management removes APU from one aircraft and fits it into another.
This has been going on for a year,” an Air India pilot said.
While most of these aircraft fly on domestic routes, some also make trips to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
12/03/10 Mamta Todi/ExpressBuzz

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Categories: NACIL Mar 2010