NEW DELHI: A massive step towards ensuring safer air travel for all has been taken by the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). It has proposed various stringent punishments for cockpit crew who report drunk for duty, including cancellation of licence for repeat offenders.
In its draft amendments to the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) made public last week, the regulator stated that alcohol present in the body even in small quantities jeopardises flight safety on several counts and adversely affects an aviator even during the hangover period.
It has proposed enforcing these actions in the case of violations detected before the departure of a flight (pre-flight) during the breath-analyser test. The biggest punishment the DGCA has proposed is the cancellation of the license or the approval to fly in the case of any individual who tests positive for the third time during the breath-analyser tests.
Testing positive for alcohol twice would result in a three-year suspension of licence while testing positive the first time would result in a three-month suspension of licence. Giving a miss to such tests would also be treated with much seriousness.
Similar penalties have been mooted for post-flight alcohol tests. The maximum punishment here is cancellation of license or approval and action initiated as per Aircraft Rules 1977 if the crew tests second time positive in the breath-analyser tests.
Testing positive for alcohol for those in a traineeship role like Examiners, Instructors, Line Training Captain, Check Pilot or Line Check Cabin Crew would result in the loss of approval or authorisation for three years in addition to penal action.
The DGCA has made it mandatory for all operators to maintain separate records of preflight and postflight breath analyser exams for the flight crew and cabin crew for a minimum period of one year.
The draft pointed out that as per the provision of Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules, a pilot, commander, navigator, engineer, cabin crew or other operating members should have used any alcoholic drink, sedative, narcotic or stimulant drug preparation within 12 hours of the commencement of the flight or use such preparation in the course of the flight.
Airlines have been given time till October 24 to respond to the proposed rules.
Technical snag causes Jaipur-Pune fllght return
A Jaipur–Pune SpiceJet flight had to return to base on Tuesday morning after a technical problem was detected soon after takeoff. According to the official sources at airport the aircraft, operating as SG-1077, departed at 4:50 am, about 15 minutes ahead of schedule, but was forced to turn back within half an hour due to a malfunction in the cockpit door system. The incident comes at a time when airlines are under sharper scrutiny for safety.