Air India pilots’ groupings accused the airline management of “intimidating and coercing” some of their members to extend flight duty timings past the prescribed limits.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG) raised the difficulty with Air India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson. The ICPA and IPG wrote a letter to the airline’s management and the CEO flagging the difficulty.
The unions, of their joint letter dated January 28, claimed the airline’s method to extend the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) for pilots quantities to “compromising” the security of the pilots apart from violating established rules.
ICPA represents the narrow-body pilots whereas IPG has members from the wide-body fleet of Air India.
It has come to the discover that some pilots are dealing with intimidation and coercion to extend their FDTL past the prescribed limits by the Director of Operations and base managers, together with threats of jeopardising their profession development, the letter mentioned.
The unions additionally termed the state of affairs as a matter of “grave concern”.
There was no speedy remark from Air India on the letter.
The unions’ allegations additionally assume significance towards the backdrop of aviation regulator DGCA, earlier this month, popping out with revised FDTL norms for pilots that present for elevated weekly relaxation interval, extension in evening hours by an hour and simply two evening landings as towards six earlier.
Stating that the pilots are “committed” to upholding the best requirements of security and compliance inside the organisation, the letter mentioned, “however, the reported incidents undermine these principles and pose a serious risk to both our personnel and the integrity of our operations”.
“We request your immediate intervention to investigate these allegations and put an end to any coercive practices related to FDTL extensions,” the unions mentioned within the letter.
The unions have additionally warned that if these practices persist, they might be “compelled to inform the regulatory authorities with evidence, including call records, to ensure transparency and accountability”.
“We believe that our duty is not only to the company but also to the safety of the passengers and the reputation of the aviation industry,” it mentioned.
(With PTI inputs)
