High court to hear PIL on overworked AI pilots

Mumbai: The Bombay high court will hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against Air India (AI) for overworking its pilots without regard to mandatory flying hours.
The PIL, filed by Mumbai resident Atul Vora, has asked the HC to intervene and ask the Director-General of Civil Aviation to verify whether mandatory work and rest hours are followed by the national carrier and to ensure safety of passengers, crew and the aircraft.
The litigant has relied on, among other sources, a newspaper report carried by TOI to show that civic society needs to be concerned over the manner in which Air India conducts its flights and utilizes its pilots. The safety of human life is the ultimate goal and one that cannot be compromised, the petition stresses.
The petition has been filed against the central government, DGCA, Indian Pilots' Guild and Air India. It states that despite an application under Right to Information (RTI) to verify how work hours were violated in a Tokyo flight, the airline did not reply. Several pilots have complained that they are "discouraged" from taking medical leave and are penalized by having their salaries cut if they do. The working condition creates a lot of mental trauma as they have to work overtime as well, the PIL alleged.
07/10/11 Swati Deshpande/Times of India

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Categories: Air India Oct 2011, Safety Oct 2011