A flying problem: Aviation regulator can't be lax about safety norms

The revelation made by India's civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), that as many as 135 pilots of Jet Airways have been flying planes without its mandatory approvals is shocking. It undermines the safety of the thousands of passengers who used the airline mistakenly believing that all safety norms are in place. Even more shocking is the regulator's response to the large-scale violation. The pilots were allowed to fly for months after their last pilot proficiency check expired; and, even now, the regulator has merely issued show-cause notices to most of them, instead of suspending them from flying till they're approved. A show-cause notice has been served on the airline's chief of operations; the airline has been directed to remove its chief of training; but only four pilots have been de-rostered. A decision on de-rostering the remaining errant pilots is still being debated for the ostensible reason that such a move could upset the flying schedule of the airline on many routes. This reflects poorly not just on India's second-largest airline, but also on the DGCA's supervision.

This glaring violation of norms didn't come to light as a result of DGCA's routine checks or supervision. An inexplicably careless lapse by the Jet Airways pilots led to one of its planes suddenly losing height of about 5,000 feet early last month while flying over the Turkish airspace. This was duly reported to the regulators. Pilots are permitted to lose height gradually and any abrupt or rapid descent of more than 1,000 or 1,500 feet is not allowed unless in an emergency situation. In this case the pilot was reported to have not followed the mandated flight norms. This led to an audit by the regulator, which has now revealed the rampant violation of norms by pilots in the periodic renewal of their proficiency certificates.

Ironically, these developments seem to retrospectively justify the decision taken by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) earlier this year, to downgrade Indian aviation's safety rating citing a lack of safety oversight; the DGCA responded with prompt remedial measures aimed at beefing up its regulatory personnel strength. A review of the rating by US FAA is due to be held in November. The DGCA still has some time to get its act together and ensure proper and effective supervision of Indian airlines and their pilots from the point of view of safety. A civil aviation regulator's primary concern should be observance of all the norms it stipulates; the least of its concerns should be whether its actions could destabilize an airline's operations. Instead of debating whether it should de-roster the remaining errant pilots, it should do what is reasonable and necessary for passenger safety: Ask all the 131 Jet Airways pilots to renew the validity of their pilot proficiency check, and not fly the planes till they complete such formalities. And additionally, the DGCA should review the status of all pilots in other airlines and take similar steps if any one of them is found guilty of such violations.

- Source:   http://www.business-standard.com/opinion