Airlines say no to costly snoop tech

New Delhi: Eyehole versus CCTV is an age-old debate in most middle-class Indian families who want to secure their homes but are discouraged from going hi-tech because of massive difference in prices of these two devices.
Now, the same debate is raging in Indian skies, with some cash-strapped airlines not following the mandatory safety rule of having CCTVs on cockpit door so that pilots can see the area in front of the alley from their seats. Instead, airlines are warming up to eyeholes for aircraft cockpit doors, called P-Holes in aviation parlance, that can do the same job as an expensive CCTV!
But following recent hijack alerts and constant intelligence inputs on threats to airlines, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is now insisting that all Indian passenger aircraft have the vital "cockpit door surveillance system" installed. This system allows pilots to keep an eye on the cabin area in front of the door, and most importantly, identify the person who knocks at the cockpit door.
Airlines, said sources, have told DGCA that the installing the cockpit door surveillance system in each aircraft costs upwards of $50,000. ".. A special drive is being launched and we will identify which all aircraft don't have this system. They will be given some time to report compliance or face strict action," said an official.
10/03/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Mar 2010, Safety Mar 2010