Summary
- Air India has received conditional approval to resume pilot training on its simulators.
- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted permission for Air India to resume training for 30 days after the carrier rectified the discrepancies highlighted in previous audits.
- Air India has two simulator training facilities in India – one in Hyderabad and one in Mumbai.
Air India has been given conditional approval by India’s aviation watchdog to resume pilot training on its simulators. The carrier landed in hot water earlier when lapses were present in its internal safety audits. Shortly after that, Air India’s simulator training facilities within the country were suspended.
Approval granted
Air India has been given permission by India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to resume pilot training on its aircraft simulators in India. The airline’s simulator training facilities were suspended temporarily last month after the DGCA found lapses in Air India’s internal safety audits.
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Latest reports say that the airline has been given permission to resume training on the simulators for 30 days after it rectified the discrepancies highlighted by the DGCA. Air India has an Airbus simulator in Hyderabad for its narrowbody fleet of the A320 family of planes and a Boeing simulator in Mumbai for the Boeing 777 and 787 fleet.
Business Standard reports that Air India has initiated an internal audit of the 2 simulators and can hand over the report back to the DGCA after 30 days. Pilot training at these facilities has also begun.
Lapses present in the audit
In August, Air India failed an internal safety audit upon further verification by a two-member surveillance team from the DGCA. This internal safety audit comprised an inventory of 13 checks on different features of Air India’s operations, including but not limited to policy changes, ramp operations, loading management, cargo handling, maintenance, and cabin surveillance.
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The DGCA surveillance team was not glad with the end result of the improved verification of the unspecified 13 safety checkpoints. It found falsified reports made by Air India on some issues and in addition went through CCTV footage, auditee statements, official records, and passenger manifests as a part of its investigation. Not too long after, Air India’s simulator training facilities were put under the microscope, eventually getting suspended.
Crucial for pilot training
The approval to restart simulator training is an enormous relief for Air India, as an extended suspension could have affected its operations. Airline pilots undergo periodic training and license renewals, requiring them to coach for various flight scenarios under simulated conditions.
The cockpit crew should take regular certification courses and ground training refreshers to maintain their licenses valid. Had Air India’s simulators been suspended for long, it will have needed to rely heavily on training facilities abroad.
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The airline is on an enormous pilot-hiring spree and has already hired greater than 600 pilots since April this yr. As such, its simulators see a great chunk of its pilots being trained day-after-day. Hopefully, its report back to the DGCA will help resolve any previously found issues.
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