Airlines may need to hire more staff under new safety norms

New Delhi: Indian carriers may soon have to hire more pilots and crew to
comply with a new rule that mandates
more rest for flight crew to prevent
fatigue, a reason cited for the decade' s worst plane crash in India last year
that killed 158 people.
" Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will issue the rules and put it
up for consultation anytime now. I
think it should be applicable in the
next three months, " civil aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi said, adding the
new directives will also tighten control
over airline managements. " It will address a number of issue like rest,
sleep inertia, fatigue and airline
management issues. " The civil aviation ministry has cleared
the proposal this month, he said.
The plan to reduce pilot fatigue comes
after investigations into the fatal crash
of Air India Express flight IX-812 in
Mangalore on 22 May revealed the flight commander slept through 30%
of the flight.
The move will also raise the cost of
running airlines as the carriers have to
increase the number of pilots and
cabin crew for each aircraft. DGCA is preparing the draft guidelines and the
details haven' t been made public.