Post Air India incident, DGCA bars off-duty crew members from travelling in cockpit

Aviation regulator DGCA Monday barred airline officials, including pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers, from travelling in the cockpit when they are off-duty or on leave.

The regulator's directions came after an off-duty pilot of Air India tested positive in a pre-flight alcohol test on Saturday when he was scheduled to travel in the cockpit of a plane from Delhi to Bengaluru.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked the national carrier to take strict action against the pilot.

This practice of off-duty or on leave officials is in violation of the Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) 3 of 1997, it said.

The DGCA also said this practice "provides cover to officials who are authorised to travel in the cockpit while on leave or off-duty and detected BA (breath-analyzer) positive".

In an order, the regulator said it has come to its notice that the Operations Manual Part-A of Air India permits travel of airline officials such as pilots and AMEs (aircraft maintenance engineers) in cockpit "even when they are on leave or have not been assigned any duty whatsoever prescribed in AIC 3 of 1997".

The regulator added,"The portion of the Operations Manual Part-A so far as it is in violation of AIC 3 of 1997, is void ab-initio and stands repudiated with immediate affect."