Pilots oppose extension of job leaving notice period

A pilots' body has written to the aviation watchdog asking it to revoke its draft rules on job- leaving notice period.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last month had proposed to make it mandatory for commanders to serve a one-year notice period and six months in the case of first officers.
Currently, pilots are required to serve a six-month notice period.
The Federation of Indian Pilots, which calls itself a body of like-minded pilots cutting across airlines, has written a letter to Lalit Gupta, Joint Director General of DGCA, saying that a "notice period is an administrative and HR function" and, therefore, is a matter between a pilot and his or her airline.

The letter says that the competitive environment in the aviation sector has often resulted in airlines facing financial distress forcing pilots to explore better avenues but the proposed rules will "bind" the pilot to an airline.
According to the pilots, the proposal is "exploitative" as a long notice period will mean airlines can be "vindictive" to those quitting.
In their letter, the pilots said that the existing notice period of six months itself is against international standards requiring only a three-month notice.
Various airlines, including IndiGo and Jet Airways, under the banner of Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) have been pitching for increasing the mandatory notice period for pilots to one year because of the time and effort a carrier spends on training its pilots.