‘DGCA should check record of expat pilots’

A pilot’s body has said that the civil aviation regulatory body needs to thoroughly check the professional background of foreign pilots — something which is now delegated to the airlines.

In its letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier this month,the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) — an umbrella body for all commercial pilots of the country — has said that the regulator body ought to scrutinise competence,skills,history of failures,including remedial and corrective training records of expats,with the same thoroughness as it does in the case of Indian pilots.

“The responsibility of ensuring that a pilot being hired has an accident-free record should fall on the DGCA and shouldn’t be deferred to the operator. It should be made a part of the verification certificate issued by the contracting state regulatory body,” said a pilot.

In May,DGCA introduced a draft amendment to the Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA) Civil Aviation Rule,which was a step towards making regulations uniform for expats and indian pilots.