A-I pilots live in fear, stress and fatigue’

Days after Mumbai Mirror reported how a harried young bride managed to expose the manner in which the country’s premier national carrier has been fooling its pilots into working overtime, we have come into possession of a letter sent to the Air-India (A-I) management by a pilot, expressing his concern over the disregard for safety norms.
Sanjay Sharma (name changed to protect identity) is currently employed as a pilot with A-I.
_________________________
Mumbai Mirror obtains a letter
written by an Air-India pilot to the
airline management and to the
Ministry of Civil Aviation
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Here are excerpts from his letter dated April 4, 2006:
“A few months after my joining, Air-India increased the number of flights by leasing more airplanes without increasing the number of pilots in proportion. Therefore, as a result, a shortage of pilots developed and flight time and duty time limitations were increased by you arbitrarily, illegally and in utter breach of contract entered, by means of a (now seemingly dubious) circular issued to pilots in the year 2003 stating that the company had obtained an approval from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for such an extension.... You unilaterally reduced our rest time at base without due consultation with us and today we pilots in Air-India live in fear, stress and a perpetual state of fatigue.”
In a circular dated April 29, 2003, A-I, quoting the approval of the DGCA, increased the flight time of all pilots from nine to ten hours and flight duty time from 12 to 14 hours.
Frustrated by a lack of response on the part of his employers, Sharma also wrote to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on April 12, 2006, informing them about the safety violation.
When contacted, an A-I spokesperson said that the airline would be able to comment only if they knew the letter-writer’s identity.
24/04/06 Naveeta S/Mumbai Mirror

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