Dubai: While both pilots and the air traffic controllers (ATC) on the ground follow (International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules, language barriers and wide-ranging accents can still pose problems.
“You must speak English. That’s the rule,” says Andrew Charlton, managing director of Aviation Advocacy based in Switzerland. “The ICAO rule commands both pilots and controllers on the ground be able to speak English. Of course, they can also talk in local languages approved by ICAO.”
This is how it works. The official ICAO language may be used as a secondary language provided both the ATC and pilot speak the language. The ATC, however, must still be able to control in English.
The ill-fated flydubai flight FZ981 from Dubai to Russian city of Rostov-on-Don was flown by Captain Aristos Sokratous from Cyprus and Alejandro Cruz Alava, the plane’s co-pilot, of Spanish origin.
“Globally, it is an issue. The ICAO standards limit you to technical English. The problem occurs when it’s not quite by the book,” a pilot told Gulf News on the basis on anonymity.
“Diverse accents and languages can become a problem sometimes, especially if it’s beyond the minimum [ICAO] requirement … when it’s something conversational. That’s when [communicating with] ATC becomes an issue,” the pilot added.
21/03/16 Shweta Jain/Gulf News
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“You must speak English. That’s the rule,” says Andrew Charlton, managing director of Aviation Advocacy based in Switzerland. “The ICAO rule commands both pilots and controllers on the ground be able to speak English. Of course, they can also talk in local languages approved by ICAO.”
This is how it works. The official ICAO language may be used as a secondary language provided both the ATC and pilot speak the language. The ATC, however, must still be able to control in English.
The ill-fated flydubai flight FZ981 from Dubai to Russian city of Rostov-on-Don was flown by Captain Aristos Sokratous from Cyprus and Alejandro Cruz Alava, the plane’s co-pilot, of Spanish origin.
“Globally, it is an issue. The ICAO standards limit you to technical English. The problem occurs when it’s not quite by the book,” a pilot told Gulf News on the basis on anonymity.
“Diverse accents and languages can become a problem sometimes, especially if it’s beyond the minimum [ICAO] requirement … when it’s something conversational. That’s when [communicating with] ATC becomes an issue,” the pilot added.
21/03/16 Shweta Jain/Gulf News
