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Pilots with licences issued abroad may soon find it tougher to convert it to an Indian licence.
The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) proposes stricter norms, including a skill test on domestic aircraft and a verification of the licence from the original country where it has been issued from.
To be notified in a few days, these norms have been mooted because of the recent discovery of pilots with forged licences. Airlines affected include IndiGo, MDLR and Air India.
“The fake licence issue was one of the things that prompted us, but we were looking to make changes anyway and put some safeguards. Earlier, a pilot had to only take two tests to convert a foreign licence into domestic one, but now the procedure will be far more rigorous. The rules should be finalised in a day or two,” said Mr E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Director-General, DGCA.
The airline watchdog had been prompted to review its licensing policy after almost 16 cases of pilots flying with illegal licences was found across a few domestic airlines. About 8,000 licences have since been reviewed, while 7-8 pilots and few DGCA officials have been arrested.
“As a shorter route to get a licence, some pilots obtain licences from countries such as the Philippines where the procedure is much cheaper, simpler and takes a shorter time. In India, training takes longer,” said Mr Bhushan.
Another significant proposal is that pilots looking to get a higher qualification for flying more complex aircraft will now have to take an additional skill tests. Also, pilots who want to pursue flying training abroad and looking for endorsement for small aircraft will have to clear a technical exam.
Vigilance Officer
Mr Bhushan said that a Central Vigilance Officer at the Joint Secretary level has been posted at the DGCA to check on allegations/cases of favouritism and nepotism by its officials. However, he did not mention when the vigilance report would be made public.
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