New Delhi: Air India pilots have requested the aviation regulator to reconsider its order banning crew members who are not rostered to operate a flight from travelling in the cockpit of that flight as additional crew member (ACM). The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had banned this common practice after a senior pilot working with AI on contract was found tipsy in pre-flight breath analyser (BA) test before doing ACM travel on a Delhi-Bengaluru flight which did not have any vacant seat in the passenger cabin on July 13.
Following this instance, the regulator two days later issued an order banning travel of airline officials like pilots and engineers from travelling in cockpits when on leave or when not rostered to operate those flights. Now Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA, union of erstwhile Indian Airlines’ pilots) wants this order to be revoked.
