DGCA allows off-duty pilots to travel in jump seat of flight decks, relaxes ban

NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has now allowed off-duty pilots to enter and travel in the cockpit on the jump seat (additional seat behind where the pilots), relaxing its earlier ban on entry into cockpit by anyone except airline crew rostered to operate that flight. The regulator’s amendment, which pilots say will enhance safety, now allows crew members, officials of that airline and met office to travel on the jump seat.
The staffers now allowed inside cockpit will, however, have to clear the pre-flight breath analyser (BA) tests to prove they are perfectly sober before being allowed to travel on the jump seat. Similarly, on international flights they will need to additionally clear the random post-flight BA test to prove they did not have liquor as they were travelling in the flight deck.
The DGCA had banned this common practice after a senior pilot working with an Indian airline was found tipsy in pre-flight breath analyser (BA) test before doing additional crew member (ACM, travelling on jump seat in cockpit of a flight that he/she is not operating) travel on a Delhi-Bengaluru flight which did not have any vacant seat in the passenger cabin this July.