New Delhi: DGCA tightens norms for non-scheduled operators; says lapses cannot be simply blamed on pilots
Aviation watchdog DGCA on Tuesday said safety lapses cannot be simply blamed on pilots as it announced a slew of strict safety measures for non-scheduled flight operators, including public disclosures of aircraft maintenance history and a safety ranking mechanism, in the wake of recent plane crashes.
A day after a plane, operated by a non-scheduled operator (NSOP), crashed in Jharkhand, killing seven people onboard, DGCA held a meeting with all such operators on Tuesday.
The meeting was held to “address a recent surge in aviation incidents and emphasised the critical need for an increased focus on safety across the sector”, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.
“Safety must remain the absolute priority, superseding all commercial considerations, charter commitments or VIP movements. The authority asserted that an organisation’s leadership must prioritise safety above all other criteria.
“To support this, the authority reaffirmed that the Pilot-in-Command’s decision to divert, delay, or cancel a flight for safety reasons is final and must be respected by operators without commercial consequences,” the statement said.
Sending out a strong warning, the regulator said accountable managers and senior leadership of NSOPs would be held personally responsible for systemic non-compliances and stressed that “safety lapses cannot simply be blamed on pilots”.
Among other steps, DGCA will conduct intensive audits of NSOPs wherein there would be increased random Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) audits, cross verification of ADS-B data, fuel records, and technical logs to detect unauthorised operations or the “falsifying” of data.
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Apart from the requirement of public disclosure of critical safety information, including aircraft age and maintenance history, DGCA said there would be a safety ranking of the NSOPs.
Pilots of NSOPs would face stricter penalties for non-compliance and could even face suspension of licenses for up to five years.
The regulator said there would be increased monitoring of NSOPs’ older aircraft, as well as those undergoing ownership changes.
“The regulator will audit NSOPs that run their own Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities; those found lacking adequacy will be required to outsource maintenance to approved organisations,” the statement said.
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