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Aviation regulator DGCA has mandated that at least 25 per cent of the air traffic controllers, aircraft maintenance engineers, and personnel carrying out safety-sensitive work at an airport will have to undergo a breath analyser test daily. The revised Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) in this regard will come into force after three months, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a release on Thursday.
Currently, the breath analyser test percentage required is 10 per cent and that has been increased to 25 per cent.
It will be applicable for air traffic controllers, ground staff, aircraft maintenance engineers, and ground handling services personnel right.
According to the regulator, revisions have been made to the CAR on the procedure for breath analyser examination of the personnel engaged in safety-sensitive work such as aircraft maintenance, air traffic control services, aerodrome operations, and ground handling services for detecting the consumption of alcohol.
DGCA said the revision in the CAR will further enhance the level of safety and is an effective step in view of the increase in air traffic and ground movements at airports.
The amended norms will be effective after three months from the date of issue in order to provide adequate time to the industry to suitably enhance the existing infrastructure for breath analyser tests at various locations, it added.
DGCA has deferred implementation of new flight duty rules to June 1, allowing time for airlines to prepare. The rules extend the night period, limit duty period and landings, and address cumulative fatigue. Airlines suggest implementing their own fatigue monitoring systems. The airlines are particularly worried about the new definition of night period, extending it by an hour – from 12 AM-5 AM to 12 AM- 6AM – and limits the duty period to 10 hours and number of landings a pilot can do to two.
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