By Swati Khandelwal , CNBC-TV18

 

Kingfisher Airlines international plans may hit severe turbulence. The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has issued a draft circular to all airlines which seeks to increase flying experience requirements of the pilot and co-pilot from the current norm of 150 hours to 4000 hours.

 

Kingfisher's international operations may be grounded even before they take off, if a new draft proposal by the DGCA on flying experience requirements goes through. The draft proposal called "Operations Circular No.4 of 2008" issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on the June 17 talks about implementing new rules for flying wide body aircraft.

 

Until now, airlines like Jet Airways and Indian airlines who fly internationally have pilots and co-pilots with a minimum 150 hours of flying experience individually, which is also the international norm.

 

The new draft circular now says:

 

* A Pilot in Command or PIC will need a minimum of 5000 hours of flying time. This includes a minimum of 2000 hours on a jet and another 1500 hours as a co-pilot on a relevant wide body aircraft on international routes.

*A co pilot will need atleast 4000 hours of flying of which 2000 hours should be jet experience

 

If this proposal is accepted, it will halt international plans of Kingfisher, slated to take off in August. Sources say, pilots with 4000 hours of flying will not agree to fly as co-pilots as they would have already assumed command. Moreover, it would be next to impossible to get co-pilots with this sort of experience.

 

CNBC-TV18 learns that Kingfisher Airlines has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry questioning the rationale of the proposed norms. 

 

The letter says " We humbly request the ministry's intervention because if the said circular is implemented it will result in utter chaos and lead to a situation where foreign first officers continue to fly with Indian carriers"

 

Moreover Kingfisher says that the DGCA had on the 21st of May approved at least 500 hours of experience on a A-320 to qualify for training on wide body aircraft as per discussions with Kingfisher.

 

When contacted DGCA, said the proposal is not yet finalised and will ask airlines to give their comments.

 

This seems to be the start of another battle in the skies.