Sleeping Pilots A Matter Of Worry, DGCA Calls Meeting To Find Solution

In the wake of the recent incidents involving Indian airlines escorted by fighter jets after losing contact with the air traffic control(ATC), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) has called a meeting this week to find a solution for this.

DGCA Chief BS Bhullar is planning to introduce strict rules for pilots that will ensure at least one pilot in the cockpit is always fully conscious to respond to calls from Air Traffic Control(ATC), reported The Times of India.

Recently, in both the incidents over the European skies one of the pilots who was supposed to be awake did not respond to ATC callouts.The other pilot was taking controlled rest. As per the current rules sleeping is allowed but one of the pilots should be awake, the report adds.

Two years back, DGCA had recommended that there should be two conscious persons inside the cockpit. If one of the pilots is taking controlled rest then a cabin crew member must be inside the cockpit to make the place more alert.

A London-bound Air India aircraft from Ahmedabad on March 10 had to be escorted by fighter jets after it lost contact with the Air Traffic Control while flying over Hungary.

The Dreamliner Boeing 787-800 plane was carrying 231 passengers and 18 crew members on board.

Similarly in 2014, a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Brussels, carrying around 280 passengers, plunged 5,000 feet while overflying Turkish airspace as the commander was asleep and the co- pilot busy with the iPad containing flight information.

Terming it a "serious incident", aviation regulator DGCA had suspended the two pilots.