DGCA revises flying rulebook: Pilots and trainers to face stricter action for violations

MUMBAI: The captain of an operating flight who fails his or her breath analyser test will be now suspended for three years and trainer captains who put personal interest ahead of passenger safety would also face strict action from the national aviation regulatory body.

These are some of the revisions the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has made to its rulebook, the Civil Aviation Regulator (CAR), in its effort to strengthen flying safety standards. Under certain provisions of CAR, training captains approved by flight operators should be free of prejudices, not have strong likes or dislikes, should be capable of fairly assessing their trainees and have a balanced attitude towards the aircrew. They

should also have a record free of incidents or accidents.

According to DGCA, if a failure in judgment or an error in handling technique is attributed to the trainer’s proficiency, then he or she will be withdrawn for a period of one or three years according to the case. The trainer will be withdrawn for a minimum three months if he or she functioned without undergoing a standardisation check in the past two years or has exercised privileges without having attended the required refresher training.

DGCA stated it may withdraw an examiner’s or an instructor’s approval for three years if evidence shows that he or she placed personal interest ahead of the passenger’s, was found misusing his or her authority or acted in any way that would disrespect DGCA or breach the DGCA’S CAR.