NEW DELHI: Indian carriers having a similar type of aircraft, numbering over 20 aircraft, would now have to mandatorily install simulator training facility within India.
India’s civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR)— a set of rules that govern the functioning of the Indian civil aviation sector— stating that Indian domestic carriers must “progressively” reduce the use of overseas simulator training facilities.
DGCA in a directive has said: “Operators with more than 20 aeroplanes of one type shall have owned/leased simulator capacity within India for that type by December 31, 2018,” Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. The DGCA guidelines further state that ATOs (Approved Training Organisations) should adopt market-based approach to increase the utilization of under-utilized simulators first within the country and then with foreign customers through lease options.
“Operators should increase training facilities in India through options of offset clauses in lease or purchase of aeroplanes,” it said.
The latest CAR would be applicable to scheduled operators and ATOs imparting training to the flight crew for type rating on aircraft with gross weight exceeding 5,700 kilograms. A320 from the stable of Airbus and B-777 from Boeing are among the planes that come under this classification.
A panel headed BS Bhullar, now the DGCA head recommended that airlines should have simulators for every 20 aircraft in their fleet. The DGCA is currently drafting a regulation in this regard and the draft guidelines will be in place by this month, according to sources.
In June 2016, DGCA had ordered India’s leading carrier IndiGo not to train its pilots at one of the two simulators at a training centre in Britain following an inspection of the facility and the subsequent detection of the malfunctioning in one of the two such machines.
At present, private carriers spend a significant amount on the training of pilots overseas. A DGCA official pointed out that once private carriers have enough number of simulators in the country, it would help them in reducing the training costs for their pilots. Indian pilots have to undergo simulator checks once every six months.