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The office of the Director General of Civil Aviation, with the approval of the Ministry of Civil Aviation has brought out a Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) of ‘Notice Period’ by pilots to the Airlines employing them. The pilots will now be required to give a ‘Notice Period’ of at least six months to their employer indicating their intention to leave the job and shall not refuse to undertake the flight duties assigned to them during this period. Failure to comply with this provision of this CAR may lead to action against them. This CAR is applicable to any pilot working for any air transport undertaking.
According to the CAR which is effective forthwith, it has been observed that pilots are resigning without providing any notice to the airlines. In some cases, even groups of pilots resign together without notice and as a result airlines are forced to cancel their flights at the last minute. Such resignation by the pilots and resultant cancellation of flights causes inconvenience and harassment to the passengers. Sometimes such an abrupt action on the part of the pilots is in the form of a concerted move, which is tantamount to holding the airline to ransom and leaving the traveling public stranded. This is a highly undesirable practice and goes against the public interest.
According to the Aircrafts Rule 1937, the Central Government may debar a person permanently and temporarily from holding any license or rating upon such an action on the part of the pilot if the Government in its opinion finds it necessary to do so in public interest.
It takes about four months to train a pilot to operate an aircraft used for airline operations, as he has to pass technical and performance examinations of the aircraft, undergo simulator and flying training and has to undertake ‘Skill Test’ to satisfy license requirements. Even after this training, the pilot can operate only as a co-pilot. To operate an aircraft as Pilot-in-Command (PIC) he needs to gain experience and undertake ‘Skill Test’, to fly as PIC of an aircraft, which may take another four months. Therefore, it takes more than four months for an airline to replace a trained PIC.
Pilots are highly skilled personnel and shoulder complete responsibility of the aircraft and passengers. They are highly paid for the responsibility they share with the airlines towards the traveling public and are required to act with extreme responsibility.
In view of the above Government has decided that any act on the part of pilots, including resignation from the airlines without a minimum ‘Notice Period’ of six months, which may result in last minute cancellation of flights and harassment of passengers, would be treated as an act against the public interest.
The ‘Notice Period’ of six months, however, may be reduced if the airlines employing them provides a ‘No Objection Certificate’ and accepts their resignation earlier than four months.
MC/GK
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