Air-miss over language glitch, airlines warned over use of foreign pilots

Indian carriers have been issued instructions not to roster foreign pilots to defence airfields till they are “thoroughly briefed about the approach procedures of Indian defence airfields”.This comes after an investigation into the near-miss incident between a GoAir and a SpiceJet aircraft in Goa on October 22 found that the foreign crew of the GoAir flight failed to correctly understand instructions given by Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs).

GoAir and other airlines have now been directed not to operate wet-lease aircraft (where crew is leased with the aircraft) to defence airfields till all foreign crew have been specifically briefed about operating procedures, an official involved in the exercise said. In the wake of the Goa incident, an audit of the wet-lease operation by GoAir had also been ordered by the office of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Of the more than 100 airports managed by the Airports Authority of India, 26 are civil enclaves at defence airfields. Others include 18 international airports, 78 domestic airports and 7 customs airports. As per information updated till September 30 last year, as many as 284 foreign pilots were employed by domestic aviation companies.The Goa incident triggered the traffic collision avoidance systems (TCAS) of the two aircraft and forced their pilots to take corrective measures to avoid a potential collision.