10 Jet Airways Pilots Grounded; Demand for DGCA Official’s Removal

A communication in which the DGCA official’s designation was written incorrectly, seems to be have backfired.

10 Jet Airways pilots have been kept out of flying duties, and their mistake – quoting incorrectly the designation of a senior DGCA official in a communique. (Photo: Reuters)

As many as 10 pilots of the Jet Airways have been kept out of flying duties, and their mistake – quoting incorrectly the designation of a senior DGCA official in a communique.

A communication, sent to the aviation watchdog opposing the proposal to increase the notice period for pilots to one year, in which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official's designation was written incorrectly, seems to have backfired with an 'arbitrary' regulatory action against them, sources said.

A response to a query sent to the Jet Airways on the issue is awaited. The NAG said:

The DGCA official has ordered, albeit illegally, to de- roster more than 10 commanders at extremely short notice allegedly to ascertain their mental capabilities. We, the pilots of National Aviators Guild, ICPA, IPG (the pilots associations of Air India) in conjunction with the Airline Pilots Association of India, plan to approach the PMO with a petition for his removal from the office of the DGCA.

The DGCA has recently proposed a notice period of one year for pilots and six months for co-pilots before leaving the services of their current company. The DGCA and the officer concerned invited comments on the said draft and a few pilots responded. However, in the response, the DGCA official's designation was inadvertently written incorrectly.

The DGCA official has also directed the airline to check the “mental alertness of these pilots” since “they could not even quote a designation properly”, sources said. 

The airline has asked the 10 pilots to report at the headquarters following the developments, the sources said, adding the DGCA has also directed the aviators to appear before it on Wednesday.

The Guild also said it will be calling a meeting of all pilot bodies under the aegis of the Indian chapter of Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) shortly to form a joint action group to pursue the matter legally and keep all international bodies like the ICAO informed of the proceedings.