Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Two Air India pilots resign, cite fatigue and stress; Ajit Singh to gauge tiredness level now


Queering the pitch for troubled Air India, two executive pilots, who form the backbone of the national airline's foreign operations these days, have submitted their resignations, citing 'fatigue and stress'.

Recently, two senior commanders, who had served for over two decades, had sent in their resignation letters alleging that every Air India flight is a 'disaster in the making' with a major disaster imminent because the airline is forcing fatigued pilots to fly.

In his resignation letter (seen by ET) to the management, pilot S Sen wrote that the next air disaster on the Air India network is imminent because of the low safety standards. According to an AI official, Sen has been with the airline since 1991. The other pilot to quit is Rahul Tunara, who has also quit citing fatigue. In his letter dated June 8, the AI pilot is reported to have said: "There has been no discussion on the safety aspect arising due to low morale because of sacking of 101 pilots, loss of homes due to delayed salaries and mindless rostering of pilots and financial penalties for reporting sick."

Quoting a US safety board report, the letter went on to add that 65 per cent of air accidents occur due to human error, sleep deprivation and poor decision-making. Giving reasons for resignation, the pilot stated in his letter that every flight undertaken and the company fall in the highest risk zone... (and because) the undersigned is not able to prevent this disaster from happening and is also not able to fulfill his duties as training captain.

This is not the first time that safety concerns have been raised about Air India flights. In 2011, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had conducted a safety audit and had found most private airlines and Air India extremely low on safety benchmarks and it was supposed to undertake a detailed safety audit of the national carrier. Air India's rate of incidents had gone up drastically in 2011.

These high-profile resignations actually puncture a hole in Air India top management and civil aviation ministry's claim that Air India is cruising and operating 75 per cent of its international operations without the 410-odd agitating Indian Pilots' Guild(IPG) pilots as the 120 executive pilots are more than keeping flights in air.
Air India CMD Rohit Nanadan did not respond to an ET mail on the issue. But, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, while addressing a press conference on Monday, dismissed the fatigue argument that is being put forth by senior Air India pilots. "If they are fatigued, there are regulations to look into it. The director general of civil aviation will see how much they are flying and if they are tired or not," Singh said.

But the new flight duty guidelines that will give pilots adequate rest have not been implemented by airlines yet and pilots of all carriers allege that airlines would not want to implement such rules that make the man sweat a little less.

Even senior pilots at Air India are now questioning the airline's strategy of not doing its ultra long haul flights to US and bunching most international operations, forcing 120 executive pilots to operate flights. Last week executive pilots met Ajit Singh and got a jolt when their demand to look into the fatigue factor did not yield an outcome. On Monday, 30 executive pilots, too, reported sick, laying flat Air India's hopes to sustain its international operations till it puts a business plan in place in consultation with its overseas departments.

The contingency plan of the airline is announced till June 30. "Some of the pilots have not been granted leave for three years now...," said an executive pilot not wanting to be named. Air India is in the process of a financial restructuring and the government has committed to an equity infusion of Rs 30,000 crore to the airline over the next 10 years.

Trial of Data Link Communication at Mumbai airport


Mumbai, June 20: Pre-departure clearance to aircraft by Air Traffic Control in the country is all set for a major technology upgradation.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) at Mumbai airport has begun trial operations of Data Link Communication for pre-departure clearance which will eventually replace the present system of pre-departure clearances being given using voice communication.

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh launched the trial operations during his recent visit to Mumbai on June 18.

The new system will eliminate possibility of human error and will enhance safety and efficiency of operations.

Pre-departure clearance is an authorization issued by Air Traffic Control to the Pilot regarding the runway to be used, route to be flown from departure to destination and the cruising level that the aircraft is expected to maintain.

At present, Air Traffic Controllers, on request from the Pilot of an aircraft, issue pre-departure clearance through voice communication using VHF radio from tower. The Pilots are expected to read back the entire clearance to confirm correct receipt of the same, again through voice communication.

Such a procedure for issue of pre-departure clearances using voice may lead to potential misunderstanding between the Pilot and the Controller. In addition, it also results in loss of valuable time for the Pilot waiting for his turn to get the clearance as it is not possible for more than one Pilot to talk to the Controller at a time.

The cockpit communication workload and the Controller's communication workload are also considerably increased.

The above limitations can be addressed by using Data link communication instead of voice. In the case of issue of pre-departure clearances using Data Link, the Pilot requests the clearance using the Flight Management Computer in the cockpit. The controller gets the information about the aircraft requesting the clearance on his work-station.

The Controller selects the appropriate clearance from the data base and at the press of a button the information goes to the cockpit of the aircraft via Data Link. Getting the information both on screen and print via Data Link confirms issue/receipt of correct clearance, saves time for the Pilot and eliminates human errors thereby enhancing safety and operational efficiency.

As the Pilots do not have to wait in the queue for obtaining clearance and many aircraft can simultaneously request and obtain clearances, delay to the aircraft is considerably reduced thereby facilitating on-time departure for passengers.

In addition to Mumbai, such Data Link Departure Clearance (DLC) Systems are being deployed at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad International Airports.

Singh while launching the trial operations of the Data Link Departure Clearance system at Mumbai appreciated this initiative which is the first of its kind by Airports Authority of India. (IBNS)


AAI starts trial to upgrade pre-departure clearance to aircraft


SME Times News Bureau | 20 Jun, 2012 Pre-departure clearance to aircraft by Air Traffic Control (ATC) in India is all set for a major technology upgradation as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at Mumbai Airport has begun trial operations of data link communication.The new system will eventually replace the present system of pre-departure clearances being given using voice communication and will eliminate possibility of human error thus enhancing safety and efficiency of operations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.The trial operation was launched by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh during his visit to Mumbai June 18.In addition to Mumbai, such data link departure clearance (DLC) systems are being deployed at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad International Airports.Pre-departure clearance is an authorization issued by Air Traffic Control to the pilot regarding the runway to be used, route to be flown from departure to destination and the cruising level that the aircraft is expected to maintain.At present, air traffic controllers, on request from the pilot of an aircraft, issue pre-departure clearance through voice communication using very high frequency radio from tower.The pilots are expected to read back the entire clearance to confirm correct receipt of the same, again through voice communication.Such a procedure using voice may lead to potential misunderstanding between the pilot and the controller, the ministry said.It also results in loss of time for the pilot waiting for his turn to get the clearance as it is not possible for more than one pilot to talk to the controller at a time, it added.According to the ministry, these limitations can be addressed by using data link communication instead of voice.In the case of issue of pre-departure clearances using data link, the pilot requests the clearance using the flight management computer in the cockpit.

Travel to be a pleasure for NRKs


The pangs of Gulf Malayalis who are being squeezed by private airlines following the Air India strike have moved the state government into action.
Among the proposals being considered by the government to bring relief to the NRKs are starting a ship service from Kerala to the Gulf and reviving the ‘Kerala Airways’ project. Another ambitious plan is to launch a special bank for NRI investments.
The ship service project will be presented at the ‘Emerging Kerala’ summit this November. The idea is to provide Malayalis working in the Gulf nations with a cheaper mode of transportation, said NORKA Minister K C Joseph in the Assembly on Wednesday.
The Kerala Airways project was mooted by the previous UDF government, but it was shelved because to start an international air service, a minimum of five years’ experience in the domestic sector was essential.
But now, with private airlines increasing the fares arbitrarily, the government was reviving the project, he said.
The proposal to start a special bank for NRI investments has been placed before the Reserve Bank of India. The government was seriously looking at a mechanism whereby NRI investments can be effectively used for the state’s flagship projects such as mono-rail, Kochi Metro and the Kannur airport.
Currently an official delegation from the state is on a visit to ensure maximum participation in the ‘Emerging Kerala’ summit, he said. The state has also asked the Centre to appoint at least one Malayali in the embassies in the Gulf countries. The government also proposed to introduce Pravasi development bonds to ensure investments, he said

AI loses Rs. 500 crore; contingency extended again


Even as the stalemate continues in Air India, the national carrier has already lost about Rs. 500 crore in terms of revenue during the 45-day-old strike by pilots.
The continuing strike has forced the airline to once again extend the international contingency plan, for the fourth time since the protest began on May 7, indicating that things may not change for quite some time. As part of the plan, the interim schedule will be extended for international flights till July 31 or until the strike is called off before that day, according to an AI official.
The airline will operate 38 international flights per day instead of the 45 it operates under normal conditions.
First, the interim schedule was to be operational till May 25 but was extended till June 1 and then again till June 30.
While most of the services affected are those to Europe and North America, where a curtailed operation is being maintained, the only destinations not covered under this schedule are Hong Kong, Osaka, Seoul and Toronto. All flights to the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Singapore, Thailand and SAARC countries are being operated as per the normal schedule.
Air India is planning to begin its Jeddah and Tokyo flights from next month. Presently, some of its aircraft are on duty with the Prime Minister, who is on a visit to Mexico and Brazil. As soon as they are back, the Jeddah and Tokyo flights will be launched.

AAI to use DLC systems for pre-departure clearance


Mumbai, June 20:
Pre-departure clearance to aircraft by Air Traffic Control in the country is all set for a major technology up-gradation. Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun trial operations of Data Link Communication for pre-departure clearance at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. This will eventually replace the present system of voice based pre-departure clearances. The new system will eliminate possibility of human error and will enhance safety and efficiency of operations.
In addition to Mumbai, such Data Link Departure Clearance (DLC) Systems will be deployed at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad International Airports.
Pre-departure clearance is an authorisation issued by Air Traffic Control to the pilot regarding the runway to be used, route to be flown from departure to destination and the cruising level that the aircraft is expected to maintain.
At present, Air Traffic Controllers, on request from the pilot of an aircraft, issue pre-departure clearance through voice communication using VHF radio from the Air Traffic Control tower. The pilots are expected to read back the entire clearance to confirm correct receipt of the same, again through voice communication.
In the case of Data Link Communication, the pilot requests the clearance using the Flight Management Computer in the cockpit. The Controller selects the appropriate clearance from the data base and at the press of a button the information goes to the cockpit of the aircraft via Data Link.

Airlines’ on-time performance set to improve further


New Delhi, June 20:
With an aim to improve safety and on-time performance, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to deploy Data Link Communication for pre-departure clearance of aircraft at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad airports. This system will replace the present voice communication system.

Trial in Mumbai

The authority has started using this system on trial basis at Mumbai Airport. The authority claims that the new system will eliminate possibility of human error and will enhance safety and efficiency of operations.
Pre-departure clearance is an authorisation issued by Air Traffic Control to the Pilot regarding the runway to be used, route to be flown from departure to destination and the cruising level that the aircraft is expected to maintain.
In the case of issue of pre-departure clearances using Data Link, the pilot requests the clearance using the Flight Management Computer in the cockpit. The controller gets the information about the aircraft requesting the clearance on his work-station.
The Controller selects the appropriate clearance from the data base and at the press of a button the information goes to the cockpit of the aircraft via Data Link. Getting the information both on screen and print via Data Link confirms issue/receipt of correct clearance, saves time for the pilot and eliminates human errors thereby enhancing safety and operational efficiency.
As the pilots do not have to wait in queue for obtaining clearance and many aircraft can simultaneously request and obtain clearances, delay is considerably reduced, thereby facilitating on-time departure for passengers.

Voice communication

At present, air traffic controllers, on request from the pilot of an aircraft, issue pre-departure clearance through voice communication using Very High frequency radio from tower. The pilots are expected to read back the entire clearance to confirm correct receipt of the same, again through voice communication.
Such a procedure for issue of pre-departure clearances using voice may lead to potential misunderstanding between the pilot and the controller. In addition, it also results in loss of valuable time for the pilot waiting for his turn to get the clearance as it is not possible for more than one pilot to talk to the controller at a time.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3551233.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy