Airline News
FAA upgrades India as pilots challenge Air India safety management
April 13th 2015
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has restored India’s safety rating to Category 1, meaning it complies with the international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), 15 months after India’s latest downgrade in January 2014. With the top rating back in place, Indian carriers will again be able to add operations to the U.S. using their own aircraft, and carry the code of U.S. airlines on their services. Read More »
The FAA upgrade came at a curious time, considering the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) only a week earlier had submitted a letter to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) warning of potential risks to passenger safety mainly due to the continuing operation of decades-old Air India aircraft. “The … A320 aircraft, which are [some] of the oldest in the world, are being operated with repetitive snags endangering flight safety,” ICPA asserted in the document. The pilot body also called for a review of Air India’s regulation of flying hours, asking the DCGA to “clarify the minimum time before scheduled departure that a pilot must report for flying at airports” on their behalf.
Meanwhile, Air India has reiterated it is looking at converting some of its seven remaining B787-8 orders into commitments for the larger -9 variant. "We are in discussions with Boeing. We will not be paying any extra money for the bigger -9 planes and may induct less than seven planes. All of these are being discussed," Air India managing director, Rohit Nandan, was quoted as saying in India’s The Economic Times. At press time, the Delhi-based carrier operated 20 B787-8s, with the 21st frame scheduled for service entry in June.
In other news, Indian ground handling company, Decor Aviation, has launched Air Pegasus, a regional carrier operating ATR 72 services out of the southern city of Bengalaru.
