After DGCA notice, GoAir conducting daily audit of pilots' roster

After a notice by aviation regulator DGCA for violation of rules regarding flight duty and time limitations (FDTL), GoAir has been conducting a daily audit of pilots' roster every evening, Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday.

The FDTL norms are there so that the cockpit crew and cabin crew get adequate rest to mitigate fatigue, so that they remain alert during any flight operations.

"During review...Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) observed multiple cases of non compliance of FDTL requirements....in the case of Go Airlines (India) Ltd by both operator and flight crew," Puri said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

These violations were mainly on requirement of weekly off, minimum rest period, consecutive night operations etc, he added.

Go Airlines (India) Ltd runs the GoAir brand of airline in India. "Show cause notice was issued to accountable manager and director of flight operations of Go Airlines (India) Ltd for engaging flight crew (pilots) in violation to their approved FDTL Scheme," Puri stated.

"Warning letters were also issued to individual pilots of Go Airlines for FDTL violations by DGCA. The airline has submitted steps taken as corrective action on the subject including conducting a daily audit of their roster every evening prior to next day of operations," he added.

Further, the minister said the DGCA ensures compliance of FDTL regulations by airlines through continuous oversight such as routine surveillance, audit and inspections.

GoAir on January 7 had said it has received a notice from the DGCA after a "routine FDTL audit" and it will take appropriate action to abide by the aviation regulator's directives.

A senior DGCA official had said on January 6 that the regulator has started the process of issuing show cause notices to approximately 100 pilots and senior executives of GoAir over alleged violation of the FDTL norms.