India’s aviation regulator, DGCA, has approved a request from Air India to allow the same pilots to operate multiple Boeing wide-body aircraft types. The move will enable the airline to use the same pilots, over time, to operate two different kinds of aircraft.

DGCA approves the request for pilots to be allowed multiple kinds of aircraft

Air India has long requested the ability to utilise the same pilots to operate two-type of Boeing wide-body aircraft, the Boeing 777 and the Boeing 787.  The approval for Multi-Seat Flying, as it is called, was granted on March 3.

First, Air India will be allowed to train eight designated examiners to operate the Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft. A  designated examiner is an experienced pilot who the regulator has authorised to carry out various tests and checks as per civil aviation requirements. The examiner is an employee of the airline concerned.

Under the plan approved by the DGCA, 4 777 DEs and 4 787 DEs will be trained on the ground and in the simulator before they are allowed to be flying the new equipment. They will then need to achieve at least 150 hours of flying with at least ten landings for operating Boeing 777 and 787 separately.

Cross utilisation of pilots is being followed by airlines in around 16 countries. Per the DGCA, this is a trial, and they will grant further full permission after seeing how this exercise proceeds and the data that they get to see out of it.

Bottomline

Air India has received provisional approval for allowing their pilots to operate two different aircraft types. The sample set of 8 will be cross-trained on both equipment, i.e., the 777 and the 787 aircraft and will have to achieve 150 hours of flying and get in 10 landings before the DGCA allows further move on this permission.

What do you think of enabling multiple fleet types for the same pilots, and the safety implications of this move?

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