INDIA – Errant pilots in India mostly escape being disciplined even though some of them report to work drunk during festive seasons.
Apart from the fact that it’s not a criminal offence for a pilot to report drunk before a flight in the country, the dearth of experienced pilots means airlines often have to turn a blind eye to the nuisance and let the offenders go off the hook lightly.
” It ( drunk pilots) is an old issue. Our airlines don’t want to take action against them as there is a shortage of experienced pilots,” a retired pilot said while commenting on an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York getting delayed after one of the four pilots reported to duty inebriated on Monday.
The offender – a commander – failed the pre- flight breath analyser test. The airline managed to replace him at the last moment. The plane took off in the early hours of the morning after a delay of 45 minutes.
Though some pilots in India report to work drunk just after Diwali, Christmas and New Year, the airlines don’t take harsh punitive steps against them as they afraid of losing the pilots. ” If you are a junior pilot with not much experience, you may be in slight trouble. However, if you are a commander, then the airline concerned mostly ignores it,” the retired pilot said.
“A commander has 8,000 to 35,000 hours of experience. He is the only one equipped to fly a Boeing 777 200LR, which can fly from any point in the world to the other for 17 hours at a stretch. So if you discipline or sack him, he can join any other airline within no time,” he added.
Moreover, the country does not have a mandatory check- up for the pilots before their flights. And then, there is no rule to discipline him when found drunk on duty.
Source: Mail Today
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th December 2009 at 20:42
You wanna see all the “foreign” pilots here in Africa. I don’t think Air India would have a problem luring some fairly experienced guys there. Pay a decent salary and do good background checks.
By: EGTC - 17th December 2009 at 20:21
Possibly. Mind you pilots can often move around and im sure that during times such as this they shouldnt have trouble finding pilots happy to fly in India even if they are foreign nationals.
I know my mums partner, and also another instructor of mine also flew for various airlines that were not british.
By: Ship 741 - 17th December 2009 at 18:55
perhaps they meant dearth of experienced airline pilots IN INDIA.
By: EGTC - 17th December 2009 at 15:23
Theres a shortage of pilots?
Not sure thats true what with the amount of people finishing their training with little prospect of jobs, and multiple airlines having gone bust over the last year. :confused:
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th December 2009 at 04:13
Like I said, you can have the most comprehensive testing and certifying program for an airliner with multi-redundant systems and it’s all worth diddley if the crew don’t function correctly. Maybe manufacturers should fit built in Breathalyzers which don’t allow engine start if it detects alcohol in the cockpit like they do in some cars, as compulsory equipment in all airliners?
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December 17, 2009 at 3:23 am