Pilot’s union seek PM’s nod

Chennai: The Air India pilot union’s body - The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association wrote to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention in aviation affairs following the Air India Express crash on Saturday.

In the letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the union said that the foreign pilots recruitment was very arbitrary without any proper background checks on their work history.

“There have been at least two incidents when these expat pilots have fallen unconscious on board. Neither are they mandated for a medical check nor are they required to undergo any examination for licence,” they complained in the letter.

Calling the rest periods (Flight Duty Time Limitation) authorised for a pilot antiquated, the letter sighted that 78 per cent of the fatal crashes are caused by human error of which majority sight the reason of pilot fatigue.

“We have also been complaining about the lack of professional management in Air India. In the recent past there have been several cases when safety has been compromised. There should be a committee to investigate the lapses in safety and training in Air India which has occurred in the last one year and fix accountability,” the letter said. It also sought the resignation of the Air India chairman and the civil aviation minister.