DGCA guidelines help airlines improve on-time performance

Measures by Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in July have improved the on time performance of airlines in Mumbai up to 75 percent,the civil aviation ministry said on Thursday. It also said that show cause notices had been issued to airlines that have not been able to stick to the norms.

“Following the strict enforcement of the DGCA’s procedure by airlines to mitigate flight delays,there has been significant improvement in the On Time Performances (OTP) of airlines. In Delhi,the OTP has risen from 15-20 per cent to 50-60 per cent. In Mumbai it has risen from 40-50 per cent to 70-75 per cent and in other airports,the OTP these days is 90 to 92 per cent,” said a press release by the civil aviation. “The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA have been monitoring the performances of the airlines on day-to-day basis. Show cause notices have been issued to a number of airlines on delays. The ministry has also alerted that airlines which miss slots frequently will not get their desired slots in the winter schedule,” a spokesperson said. The DGCA and the ministry are also mulling over plans to crack down on airlines for delay in arrivals. This will be achieved by ensuring that the arriving aircraft at Mumbai is not allowed to take off from the originating airport,if it is delayed.

‘Pilots,cabin crew must interact to avoid fatigue’
The DGCA has asked airlines to maintain logs of the interaction between pilots and cabin crew on a regular basis in the duration of the flight – within 30 minutes — to combat crew fatigue. The DGCA has introduced this measure to avoid incidents where the operating crew was affected by the micro sleep phenomenon. Interacting with the cabin crew on a regular basis is seen as one way to stay alert. “Pilot’s fatigue has been recognized as one of the serious safety hazards and contributory factors in accidents/serious incidents. Analyses of such incidents reveal that the operating crew were affected by micro sleep phenomenon.” said a press note from the DGCA.