Rule violation blame on AI

New Delhi: Air India pilots have accused the management of forcing them to flout flying rules. The allegations were made in a letter to the civil aviation ministry and the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA).
According to the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), the Air India management is forcing the pilots to fly for more than the hours permitted per shift.
Current norms do not allow a two-pilot crew to fly for more than nine hours at a stretch to prevent fatigue.
“Pilots have been under a lot of stress lately. Even after repeatedly opposing it, the management is forcing us to fly for more than 10 hours. This has put the safety of the flights in jeopardy. We have asked the DGCA to intervene before any untoward incident happens. The management cannot keep on arm twisting us and play with the lives of millions of passengers like that,” said an ICPA representative.
The pilots’ union claimed that earlier, too, Air India had violated rest rules for pilots. In March, it flouted rules for duty hours, which include time spent on the ground, for some scheduled flights to Tokyo.
12/06/11 The Telegraph

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Categories: Air India Jun 2011