Life jackets must for economy class flyers too: DGCA

New Delhi: It's been a kind of 'apartheid' that has till now been practised by airlines in India: while economy class passengers are told to hold on to their seat cushions in case the aircraft crashes into the sea, business and first class passengers are asked to take out the life jackets placed below each premium class seat. But now, the directorate general of civil aviation has sought to end this difference by making it mandatory for Indian carriers to have life jackets for every passenger — irrespective of the class he or she flies in.
Sources said the new rule is mandatory for Indian aircraft flying on overseas international routes and even domestic ones where a minimum of 50 nautical miles (90km) have to be flown over sea. This would include routes like Chennai-Kolkata and all flights to Port Blair from the mainland.
Jet and Kingfisher are among the airlines that would have to procure life jackets in large numbers. Some low cost carriers have been providing this already.
The ending of this 'apartheid' was among the several steps listed by aviation authorities here in response to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) team's observations.
09/07/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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