New Delhi: As many as 42 pilots were found drunk while reporting for duty for last year and eight of them were sacked. The rest were either grounded or suspended for brief periods.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the regulator responsible for civil aviation safety in the country, on Wednesday released information about the punishment given to drunk pilots without revealing details of crew, airlines or flight numbers.
The DGCA said 21 of the pilots were found drunk at the Delhi airport followed by 11 from Mumbai and rest at other airports across the country. Eight were sacked from their jobs and the rest were suspended or de-rostered for periods ranging from 30 days to three months.
The DGCA data, which was given to Right to Information (Act) applicant Abhishek Shukla, says 28 of the pilots found drunk are still flying while four have left their airlines.
Aviation authorities around the world, including the International Civil Aviation Organisation, don’t allow pilots and cabin crew to drink as it might endanger flight safety. "The rules prescribe that there shall be no trace of the alcohol in the blood of the pilot and the cabin crew. Alcohol in the blood numbs the senses and dulls the reflexes and increases response time. The effect of alcohol is much more at high altitudes," former Director General Civil Aviation Kanu Gohain told PTI.
Alcohol testing is mandatory for pilots and cabin crew but airlines which conduct the tests often take a lenient stand with erring pilots so as not to affect flight schedules, say aviation experts who requested anonymity.
The DGCA, therefore, conducts random surprise checks on pilots, pre-flight and post-flight, to ensure that the no-alcohol rule is not violated.
"The job requires high skills and presence of mind and there is a need for total honesty to ensure that cabin crew and cockpit crew is in best condition… but the DGCA cannot be everywhere and test everyone. We require some sort of honesty from airline managements," Gohain said.
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