Pilots

Why airline pilots hide mental-health struggles despite stress at work

Despite growing stress and burnout, many pilots avoid reporting mental-health concerns due to lengthy medical reviews and career repercussions

DGCA issues new guidelines to manage pilot and cabin crew fatigue

The new rules were released after DGCA met with airlines and pilot associations in New Delhi to discuss duty hours and rest hours

IndiGo to adopt evidence-based training to enhance pilot competencies

The country's largest airline IndiGo aims to implement evidence-based training programmes for its pilots, as part of its continuing efforts to enhance their competencies, including improved situational awareness, according to a senior official. IndiGo, which operates over 2,300 flights daily, is expanding its fleet by adding wide-body planes and currently has more than 5,300 pilots. Currently, Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) is implemented at the airline. "When you become CBTA-compliant, you eventually end up, once you mature, you become EBT-compliant," the senior airline official told PTI. EBT refers to Evidence-Based Training. "So right now, we are just baselining the CBTA. Now, with all the data we are going to use, and with the help of the world's best practices...or having consultants on board, we need to see how we can eventually reach the EBT stage," the official said. Various skills, enhanced situational awareness, decision-making, and corporate resource .

ALPA India urges DGCA to enforce full FDTL norms to ensure pilot safety

Earlier this year, DGCA, in its affidavit before the Delhi High Court, said new FDTL norms will be implemented in a phased manner

DGCA defends duty-hour extension for Air India 787 pilots, cites ops needs

The aviation regulator issued the clarification after pilots' body ALPA India urged it to withdraw the relaxation, arguing that the move could lead to fatigue-induced errors

Pilots union accuses DGCA of defying court orders on flight duty time

Federation of Indian Pilots warns of contempt plea after DGCA relaxes night duty limits under new flight duty time norms despite High Court directions

Pilots' body welcomes DGCA move to allow private centres for medical tests

Aviation regulator DGCA has decided to empanel private aeromedical evaluation centres for conducting civil aviation medical tests, with the pilots' grouping ALPA India saying the move will streamline pilot medicals, ensure higher efficiency and greater compliance with international norms. Welcoming the decision, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) said it marks the end of routine civil aviation medicals being conducted at Indian Air Force (IAF) centres. "The move, long advocated by ALPA India, represents a major milestone in the separation of military and civil medical evaluation frameworks, bringing India in line with global aviation best practices. The association had consistently raised concerns about the logistical inconvenience, lack of standardisation, and non-transparent procedures in Air Force medical evaluation," ALPA India said in a release. According to the release, the earlier requirement of undergoing every fifth medical at IAF centres often resulted i

DGCA's ranking reveals serious quality problems in India's pilot training

A granular look at the ranking criteria the DGCA has applied is concerning.

IATA proposes raising age limit for commercial pilots to 67 years globally

Global airlines' grouping IATA has proposed increasing the upper age limit to 67 years for pilots who are operating multi-pilot commercial flights. Amid a shortage of available pilots compared to the rising demand spurred by aviation sector growth, the proposal has been made by IATA to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents around 350 airlines worldwide, including Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet. In a working paper titled 'Proposal to Raise the Multi-Pilot Commercial Air Transport Pilot Age Limit to 67 years', IATA said the growth of the aviation industry worldwide is causing the demand for pilots to outstrip supply. "Raising CAT (Commercial Air Transport) pilot age limits to allow more pilots to continue to work is aligned with 15 of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the initiative of the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Programme to ensure a suffici

Pilot union objects to the government's call for a global code of conduct

A booming aviation market is seen as key to supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aviation goals, but India is short of experienced pilots

Govt seeks global 'code of conduct' to curb poaching of pilots, cabin crew

India, one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets, is wrestling with a shortage of experienced pilots

DGCA sets up expert panel to plan multi-crew pilot licence in India

Unlike current CPL training, MPL focuses on airline-specific, simulator-led, multi-crew operations from the outset through integrated airline partnerships

Rail unions flag fake breaks: What is driver fatigue and why rest matters

Unions say rail zones are manipulating CMS data to conceal overutilisation of loco pilots amid staff crunch

Indian-origin Delta pilot arrested in US on child sex abuse charges

Delta co-pilot Rustom Bhagwagar, 34, was arrested in San Francisco after landing; charged with five felony counts of child abuse, bail set at $5 million

Air India: DGCA audit flags 51 safety lapses, training, and crew gaps

DGCA audit finds 51 safety issues at Air India, including poor pilot training, unauthorised simulators, and rostering flaws. Tata-owned airline under scrutiny after recent fatal crash

'Not factual': FIP sends notice to WSJ, Reuters over AI171 report coverage

The Federation of Indian Pilots has sent legal notices to Wall Street Journal and Reuters, accusing them of misleading coverage of preliminary findings of AI171 crash, and demanding a public apology

Pilots seek clarity over crash probe, say speculation impacting morale

Pilots and cabin crew members from across airlines said they hoped for more transparency and representation in AAIB, which they believed would help prevent the stress caused by widespread speculation

Pilots' organisation urges inclusion in Air India crash probe as observer

The request comes a day after media reports surfaced alleging that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had turned off the fuel switches moments before the Air India crash

Air India junior pilot asked captain why he turned off fuel switches: WSJ

according to the Wall Street Journal report, the first officer expressed surprise that the fuel switches were off and then panicked, while the captain seemed to remain calm

AI-171 crew deserve respect, not unfounded character judgement: ALPA India

Pilots' grouping ALPA-India on Thursday said the crew of the crashed AI 171 flight made every possible effort to protect the passengers onboard and they deserve respect, not unfounded character judgements. The Air Line Pilots' Association - India (ALPA India) has been demanding a transparent probe into the crash that killed 260 people on June 12. Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft enroute from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed into a building soon after take off and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) came out with its preliminary report into the accident on July 12. "Pilots are trained professionals who carry the responsibility of hundreds of lives with dedication and dignity. "The crew of AI 171 made every possible effort -- till their very last breath -- to protect the passengers on board and minimize harm on the ground. They deserve respect, not unfounded character judgments," ALPA India said in a statement. While the preliminary report does not give any conclus