Licensing authority, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will soon form a committee to look into issues, which pilots have to grapple with, while leaving any airline.
The decision by the DGCA to form a committee comes after nearly 50 pilots from private carriers Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines met the authority with a plea to reduce the six-month notice period diktat to one month at the time of their exit from the airline.
Over, 60 pilots, both from Jet Airways and Kingfisher, have put in their papers, but are asked to serve a six-month notice period before leaving. A pilot who met the DGCA along with the co-pilots told FE , ?DGCA assured us that they will look into the matter. Also the newly formulated CAR (civil aviation requirement) of 2007, which dictates less rest hours for pilots may be amended, after the committee studies the issue. ? He added that the pilots will be meeting the DGCA regularly to get updates on the issue.
The committee will also look into the flight duty time and flight time limitations (FDTL) which allows more rest to pilots but has received flak from the airline operators as they have to recruit at least 20% more pilots due to increase in rest hours allowed to pilots.
Of the 3,000 odd pilots working with various airlines, nearly 30% are expatriates and are paid a 40% higher salary then their Indian counterparts. Recently, Jet had asked its 700-odd pilots to accept a salary cut ranging between 10-25%. According to pilots from Kingfisher, the airline has downgraded the salary structure of pilots, which prompted them to resign.
The pilots also contended that it is easier for expat pilots to be employed in India than the pilots back home.