4000 pilot licences under DGCA scanner

NEW DELHI: Alarmed at the startling discovery of fake commanders, the civil  aviation ministry has ordered a thorough verification of all currently valid pilot licences in the country. “About 4,000 co-pilots and commanders are working with airlines here and their papers are being verified. We have accordingly advised the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),” aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi told TOI on Wednesday, while describing the biggest of its kind drive ever launched in India’s aviation sector.

DGCA is learnt to have started the process by first looking into the papers of those who the 1,700-odd pilots with desi airlines who have become commanders by claiming to have passed the mandatory airline transport pilot licence (ATPL) exam conducted by it. All the three cases detected so far have been of fake commanders. DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan has referred the two new cases to the crime branch. “The verification is progressing well,” said Bhushan.

Despite a crippling manpower shortage, a crack team in DGCA is expected to finish the process at the earliest. In fact, some changes within the organisation have been made by Zaidi and Bhushan. It is reliably learnt that persons with doubtful credentials have been removed from examination branch and their juniors with a clean reputation have been asked to handle this crucial department.

Industry sources say this kind of malpractice is unlikely to have happened without insider support. “Instead of just cancelling the licence obtained on fake papers that the DGCA’s authorised to do, top authorities decided to refer the matter to the police so that the suspected insider role can also be probed. This happened despite resistance from certain quarters within the DGCA who possibly fear that a police probe may lead to their doorstep,” said sources.