India’s civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday issued an advisory to airlines asking that pilots and cabin crew members be sensitised to “strictly follow” rules and “prevent any unauthorised entry in the cockpit through appropriate means”.
A non-compliance which leads to “unauthorised cockpit entry” shall be “dealt-with strictly and may also invite stringent enforcement action”, it said.
The advisory comes even following reports of unauthorised entry into the aircraft cockpit being brought to the notice of the DGCA.
Persons having no authority or purpose, were permitted entry into the cockpit and such an unauthorised presence in the cockpit is likely to distract the attention of cockpit crew from their sensitive functions. This can lead to errors which may Jeopardize the safety of the aircraft operations, the DGCA noted.
Rules say, only the crew members, an officer of the Civil Aviation Department, an officer of India Meteorological Department, an officer of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the rank of Joint Secretary and above, an employee of the aircraft operator, officials of the airline, any flight crew member of the aircraft operator or a duly authorised representative of the manufacturer of the aircraft can be authorised for entry into the cockpit.
On June 3,DGCA has suspended the license of an Air India pilot for one year due to a breach of regulations. The pilot, who was in command of a Chandigarh - Leh flight, allowed a female friend to enter the cockpit during the journey. The aviation regulator also suspended the First Officer of the flight for one month for failing to prevent the violation and not reporting it.