‘Shiv bhakt’ pilot delays AI flight by 3 hours
The Mumbai-bound flight couldn’t take off because the pilot was delayed at temple for Mahashivratri festivities.
A Mumbai-bound Air India flight from Delhi, AI 887, was delayed by almost three hours on Tuesday as the two pilots didn’t turn up on time, leaving passengers who had already boarded the aircraft without any communication. One of the pilots, it emerged, got delayed at a temple where he had gone for the Mahashivratri festivities.
Passengers said that they boarded the plane around 9.45 am when it was scheduled for departure at 9 am. “There were no announcements and we remained seated till 11 am. We realised the pilots had not boarded the aircraft,” said a passenger, Alka Shah, who had a clear view of the cockpit.
The passengers said that the pilots finally took their seats at 11.40 am and the plane was on the runway at 12.15 pm, eventually landing in Mumbai at 1.45 pm instead of the scheduled 11.15 am.
As per Air India's proposal to punish crew due to whose conduct flights get delayed, the two pilots will have to face a salary deduction of Rs 500 for every five minutes of delay. By that calculation, for Tuesday's delay, the two pilots will have to pay up Rs 18,000 each.
An Air India spokesperson confirmed the flight had been delayed because of “crew problems”, but refused to comment on the temple visit allegations.
The commercial pilots’ association, however, said that several flights are delayed due to cabin crew shortage, and it was unfair to penalise the pilots. “Several flights are getting delayed every day due to lack of spare parts. Flights are also delayed due to shortage of cockpit personnel and cabin crew. No recruitment of pilots has taken place in years and it is a clear case of mismanagement,” Pravin Keerthi, general secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association said.
The AI manipulation
Air India is alleged to have been compromising with flight safety norms by using a DGCA waiver on minimum cabin crew requirement on some of its long haul flights, a charge denied by the national carrier.
“Air India, which is facing acute shortage of cabin crew, declares one door ‘unserviceable’ on some of its long-haul flights, which lowers the crew requirement. And it happens mainly on flights to New York and Chicago, where it operates most of its flights with 11 crew as against a requirement of 14,” crew members, who requested anonymity, said.
An airline can avail the waiver of ‘Unserviceable Door (USD)’, permitted under the regulations by the DGCA only in exceptional cases, including in flight retrievals. As a mandatory safety requirement, all doors of an aircraft have to be manned by a minimum set of cabin crew.
The minimum crew required for commercial operations for various types of aircraft is defined under Section 38(B) of the Aircraft Act. Any reduction in the crew number is allowed only in special cases, but definitely not from base points. “Similarly, its Sydney flights are being operated with only seven crew as against a requirement of nine crew,” the crew members said. When contacted, a senior Air India official denied that the carrier was taking advantage of the DGCA waiver.
THE RECENT AI DELAYS
♦ AI-302 to Sydney, with 254 passengers on board on February 14, was to depart at 1 pm. Delayed due to “non-availability of cabin crew”, the flight finally took off 12 hours late.
♦ AI-130 from London to Mumbai was diverted to Budapest after an engine malfunction, causing a delay of over 13 hours on January 23.
♦ AI-101 Delhi-New York flight, which was delayed by two hours on February 7.
A Mumbai-bound Air India flight from Delhi, AI 887, was delayed by almost three hours on Tuesday as the two pilots didn’t turn up on time, leaving passengers who had already boarded the aircraft without any communication. One of the pilots, it emerged, got delayed at a temple where he had gone for the Mahashivratri festivities.
Passengers said that they boarded the plane around 9.45 am when it was scheduled for departure at 9 am. “There were no announcements and we remained seated till 11 am. We realised the pilots had not boarded the aircraft,” said a passenger, Alka Shah, who had a clear view of the cockpit.
The cabin crew told the angry passengers that the ground staff had communicated the co-pilot had been delayed at a temple due to Shivratri pooja. “We gathered at the cockpit door and demanded answers but there was noone available to provide clarity. Even before boarding, the airline changed the gates at the last moment, causing a 15-minute crowding,” a passenger headed for the US via Mumbai said.
The passengers said that the pilots finally took their seats at 11.40 am and the plane was on the runway at 12.15 pm, eventually landing in Mumbai at 1.45 pm instead of the scheduled 11.15 am.
As per Air India's proposal to punish crew due to whose conduct flights get delayed, the two pilots will have to face a salary deduction of Rs 500 for every five minutes of delay. By that calculation, for Tuesday's delay, the two pilots will have to pay up Rs 18,000 each.
An Air India spokesperson confirmed the flight had been delayed because of “crew problems”, but refused to comment on the temple visit allegations.
The commercial pilots’ association, however, said that several flights are delayed due to cabin crew shortage, and it was unfair to penalise the pilots. “Several flights are getting delayed every day due to lack of spare parts. Flights are also delayed due to shortage of cockpit personnel and cabin crew. No recruitment of pilots has taken place in years and it is a clear case of mismanagement,” Pravin Keerthi, general secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association said.
The AI manipulation
Air India is alleged to have been compromising with flight safety norms by using a DGCA waiver on minimum cabin crew requirement on some of its long haul flights, a charge denied by the national carrier.
“Air India, which is facing acute shortage of cabin crew, declares one door ‘unserviceable’ on some of its long-haul flights, which lowers the crew requirement. And it happens mainly on flights to New York and Chicago, where it operates most of its flights with 11 crew as against a requirement of 14,” crew members, who requested anonymity, said.
An airline can avail the waiver of ‘Unserviceable Door (USD)’, permitted under the regulations by the DGCA only in exceptional cases, including in flight retrievals. As a mandatory safety requirement, all doors of an aircraft have to be manned by a minimum set of cabin crew.
The minimum crew required for commercial operations for various types of aircraft is defined under Section 38(B) of the Aircraft Act. Any reduction in the crew number is allowed only in special cases, but definitely not from base points. “Similarly, its Sydney flights are being operated with only seven crew as against a requirement of nine crew,” the crew members said. When contacted, a senior Air India official denied that the carrier was taking advantage of the DGCA waiver.
THE RECENT AI DELAYS
♦ AI-302 to Sydney, with 254 passengers on board on February 14, was to depart at 1 pm. Delayed due to “non-availability of cabin crew”, the flight finally took off 12 hours late.
♦ AI-130 from London to Mumbai was diverted to Budapest after an engine malfunction, causing a delay of over 13 hours on January 23.
♦ AI-101 Delhi-New York flight, which was delayed by two hours on February 7.
