The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday temporarily relaxed pilot flight duty time limitation (FDTL) for long-haul flights, a senior official said. The move from the DGCA is aimed at ensuring pilot availability for smooth operations, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Asangba Chuba Ao, told reporters during a media briefing.
DGCA recently issued guidelines for aircraft operators flying VIPs and VVIPs
Recently, the DGCA issued guidelines for aircraft operators flying VIPs and VVIPs, including chief ministers and governors, and emphasised that the crew should not be subjected to any undue pressure for operating a flight that might impact safety.
The guidelines, applicable for non-scheduled aircraft and helicopter operators carrying VVIPs, also come against the backdrop of the fatal plane crash in January that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others.
DGCA says flight operations must be in accordance with Aircraft Rules
The DGCA said the aircraft operator should ensure that the flight operations are in accordance with the Aircraft Rules and instructions/order/circular issued from time to time and flight crew are not subjected to undue pressure for undertaking a flight which may impact safety of operations.
"Any last-minute changes to the planned flight due to VIP requirements should be coordinated through the organisation's management only, and not directly with the crew," it said. Issuing the guidelines, DGCA also said an analysis of earlier accidents/incidents associated with aircraft operations to/from airstrips/temporary helipads and during election flying of VVIPs has often revealed violation of instructions and safety was jeopardised.
Measures taken to ensure safety standards for flights: DGCA
"It is essential that adequate measures are taken by all concerned to ensure the highest standards of safety for the operation of such flights," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
With respect to election flying, the watchdog said each operator should nominate a responsible person for managing such flights, and the person would be accountable for ensuring compliance with all instructions issued by the authorities concerned.
The person would have to follow the instructions issued by DGCA, AAI (Airports Authority of India), BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) and the Election Commission.
The person's particulars should be submitted to the Flight Standards Directorate, DGCA, before commencement of election flying, as per the order.
The Pilot In Command (PIC) of a non-scheduled aircraft flying VVIPs should have a total experience of at least 3,000 flying hours, and in the case of helicopters, it has to be 2,000 flying hours experience.
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