Airlines India, Indian Airlines

The current regulations imposed by the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry on carrying hand luggage on aircraft are posing various kinds of problems for passengers, especially when they are forced to wait for long hours following any flight delay.

Take the passengers of Dubai-bound Air India Express Aircraft, IX 343, which left Calicut on Thursday night. They were stranded for about 12 hours at the Mumbai airport after the aircraft was re-routed, thanks to a technical snag. According to passengers, they had a tough time at the airport because they were not allowed hand luggage and hence, they couldn’t carry any food. They alleged that airline officials did not provided them with any food.

“The flight was scheduled to leave Calicut at 9.45 pm, but it took off at 11.30 pm. When it was air-borne, the pilot announced that the flight was being re-routed to Mumbai because of a technical snag,” said a passenger.

“When we arrived in Mumbai, airline officials took us to the transit area and told us that the other aircraft would be taking off soon. Later, they took us to another aircraft and we were on it for two hours. But it did not take off. Then they shifted us again to the transit area,” she added.

“We were not allowed to carry hand luggage. We didn’t have any food and airline officials did not provide us with any. Passengers who were travelling with infants suffered more. Finally, the flight took off from Mumbai yesterday afternoon.”

Meanwhile, the delay created panic among the families of passengers because no information about the delay was conveyed to them. “My wife and kid was travelling on the aircraft. When I went to the Dubai airport to receive them, the flight information desk told me that the flight would arrive at 3am yesterday. But it didn’t arrive. I called the Calicut airport and they informed me that the flight had left. No airlines officials were at the airport to give any information,” said Rajan, a resident of Sharjah.

The passengers who were scheduled to leave on Thursday at 9.45 pm for Calicut on the same aircraft were also stranded at the Dubai airport. They finally left yesterday at 5 pm.

The passengers protested at the airport because of the delay. The Dubai Police had to intervene.

No official from Air India was available for comments.

The U.S. State Department intends to provide an additional $400,000 in support of aviation safety initiatives in the Caribbean region.

The intended funds are in addition to $800,000 the United States has granted the Caribbean for the same purpose through the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over the past four years.

FAA administrator Marion Blakey announced the intended U.S. funding for the Caribbean during an August 2 speech in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Blakey spoke to a meeting of transportation ministers from the 15-nation bloc of Caribbean nations known as CARICOM.

Blakey said the U.S. funds have been used to provide technical and legal assistance, and for training and infrastructure improvements to help countries in the Caribbean maintain or achieve what is called Category I status regarding the safety of their aviation operations. Category I means a country’s civil aviation authority has been found by FAA to be licensing and overseeing their air carriers in accordance with aviation safety standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Countries with air carriers that fly to the United States must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the U.N. technical agency that establishes international standards and issues recommendations regarding aircraft operations and maintenance.

Carriers from countries with a lower Category II rating may continue existing operations into the United States but are subject to heightened FAA surveillance.

A State Department official said in an interview that the intended $400,000 for Caribbean aviation would come from economic support funds of the Third Border Initiative. That initiative, unveiled by President Bush at the 2001 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, provides funding and training in the Caribbean for such programs as aviation safety, the fight against HIV/AIDS, disaster preparedness, and environmental management.

The official said the funds are designed to “standardize” regional civil aviation safety regulations in the Caribbean.

An FAA official added in an interview that Third Border Initiative money is for funding aviation-related infrastructure projects, which will produce a subsequent benefit for Caribbean countries trying to achieve a Category I status or have in fact achieved that status. But the FAA official stressed that the funds coming from the Third Border Initiative are not used “solely” for helping countries achieve the Category I safety rating.

The FAA’s Blakey paid tribute to those countries at the Port of Spain meeting that have achieved the Category I status.

These countries, she said, “are in full compliance with international safety standards, joining some 100 countries and regional safety alliances that have oversight responsibility for close to 600 air operators that operate in U.S. airspace.” Blakey added that other nations at the meeting in Trinidad and Tobago were “working hard” toward the Category I status as well, “and I commend them for their efforts.”

Blakey said that since 1997, the FAA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has “proudly worked with countries in the Caribbean region to improve civil aviation.” Her agency, she said, “will continue to stand with the Caribbean Community, as partners, and as friends. Because we’re all striving for the same goals — a safe, thriving air transportation system, and prosperity for the Caribbean, and for the world.”

The FAA administrator also invited the Caribbean officials to the agency’s third annual International Aviation Safety Forum, being held in Washington from November 1-3. At that forum, government regulators and aviation leaders from around the world will meet to discuss global air transportation safety issues.

Information on the November International Aviation Safety Forum and the full text of Blakey’s remarks in Port of Spain are available at the FAA Web site.

A new rule aimed at improving the quality of trainee pilots has just made it a tad more difficult to earn a pilot’s licence.

In a revision to Rule 38 of Aircraft Rules 1937, brought into effect by the directorate-general of civil aviation on Monday, students appearing for commercial pilot’s licence ground training exams should either have a private pilot’s licence or 50 hours of flying experience.

They should also have taken classes from a DGCA-approved ground training institute. As a majority of the students start flying only after clearing the ground training exams, the new rule would be sending about 3,000 students (who were to appear for exams in October) scurrying into the handful of over-burdened flying schools of India in the next few weeks.

That would spell trouble, as most of the flying schools in the country are struggling with poor infrastructure.

“There are hardly any flying schools with a fleet of more than six aircraft and coupled with dearth of instructors, it takes at least 3-4 months just to log in 50 flying hours. Moreover, most of the flying schools are overbooked. So not many students will be able to give exams this October,” said a chief flying instructor.

“In short, the rule means at least 1.5 lakh flying hours needs to be logged in all, if these 3000-odd students have to do 50 flying hours and be eligible to appear for the October exams,” said a DGCA official.

DGCA K Gohain was not available for comment. Till now, the most common route to get a commercial pilot’s licence (CPL) was thus: clear the directorate general of civil aviation’s (DGCA) ground training exams first, then join a flying institute to log in 200 hours of flying and finally apply for the CPL.

“The new rule is aimed at improving the training standards as doing practicals along with theory helps in better understanding. It will also check the haste to earn a CPL and the standards of pilots will be better,” said a DGCA official.

The other problem is that a number of ground training institutes, run by pilots, including those working for airlines, are not DGCA approved.

Like ClipAir, for instance, which is run by Capt Vishesh Oberoi and Capt Kiran Patel of Jet Airways? “Though our institute is not DGCA approved, we follow the DGCA syllabus,” said Capt Patel.

The new rule though specifically says that students should train in DGCA-approved institutes. “From now, the students will have to check the credentials of the ground training institute before enrolling for classes,” said Tanmay Bhatia, a student who will be appearing for one subject in October.

A National Policy on Civil Aviation is under consideration of the government, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel informed the Rajya Sabha today.

In a written reply to another question, he said Jet Airways was designated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to operate to and from USA as it fulfilled all necessary requirements to operate on international routes.

However, he said the matter regarding denial of permission by US authorities to Jet airways to operate to/from USA is under examination by the Ministry of External Affairs in consultation with concerned agencies.

He also informed the House that the Airport Authorities of India maintained transit rooms for ordinary passengers at Delhi and Mumbai airports.

The facility at Mumbai Airport has been temporarily withdrawn due to development/construction activities at site. This facility has been withdrawn on temporary basis as part of modernisation and the present security threat prevailing in the country, he said.

At Delhi airport there are nine rooms and Mumbai airport has 14 rooms.

Replying to another question, Patel said though there is a restrictive condition of non-refundable tickets, under special schemes such as “unchecked fares” where very low fares are offered.

He said Indian Airlines being a commercial organisation has to act on business principles and, as such, has to ensure that promotional fares/schemes offered by it do not become counter productive.

The Aviation Minister informed the Upper House that the WHO has issued directives to the airlines to protect the travellers, while flying in the aircraft, to be away from passengers with Tuberculosis and other fatal diseases. He said the guidelines provide for certain steps to be taken by the airline operators to avoide the risk of transmission of tuberculosis during flight, he said adding that government has issued a circular to all operators for compliance.

According to guidelines issued by WHO, Patel said airline companies should deny boarding to any person who is known to have infectious tuberculosis and is intending to travel on a flight whose total duration is likely to be at least eight hours.

On the question of bird hit at Delhi Airport, he said in the year 2006 (till date), only five bird hit incidents have taken place as against nine reported in the year 2005.

To a question on the funds released to AAI for upgradation/development of various airports, Patel said funds is released by the government as budgetary support only for the development of airports in North Eastern Region and certain crucial areas such as Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar.

During the last three years, 2003-04, 2004-05, and 2005-06, the budgetary support released to AAI is Rs 22.08 crore, Rs 30 crore and Rs 36 crore respectively, he said.

The government today introduced a Bill to enhance powers of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for performing oversight functions and imposing penalties for violation of aviation rules.

Introducing the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2006 in the Lok Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said the legislation was intended to lay down appropriate safeguards to ensure protection of civil aviation in the country against acts of unlawful interference.

The Bill proposes to amend the law to enhance the quantum of existing penalties for violating rules relating to carriage in aircraft of arms or explosives or providing false information or abetment of offences or non-compliance of directions with a view to achieving desired deterrent effect to raise the compliance level, according to its statement of objects and reasons.

The Bill seeks to enlarge the scope of powers of the DGCA to make it a regulatory body.

It would empower the Centre to grant license to personnel engaged in air traffic control, certify, inspect and regulate the communication, navigation and surveillance as well as air traffic management, besides ensuring security and safeguarding the aviation sector against acts of unlawful interference.

The DGCA would get powers to regulate foreign registered aircraft operating in India, it said.

The Bill, brought in the backdrop of privatisation and vast developments in technology as well as India switching over from ground-based to satellite based technology, also seeks to give effect to the provisions of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, popularly known as the Chicago Convention.