The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered the suspension of six pilots of IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet for a week following the controversy over the delayed landing of a flight carrying West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Kolkata airport last week.
An inquiry by the regulator found that none of the three planes was low on fuel, and the pilots were suspended for showing haste in landing by claiming a fuel crisis, a senior DGCA official told The Hindu on Wednesday.
“All six pilots have been suspended for a week for creating mischief ... in a bid to land early. All the pilots were seeking priority landing,” the official said.
The Air Traffic Controller too was asked to go for corrective training, the official said.
In Parliament, Trinamool Congress members alleged a conspiracy, saying the Air Traffic Control kept the IndiGo flight carrying Ms. Banerjee in the sky, though the plane was low on fuel, thus endangering her safety. The Air India plane was ahead of the IndiGo aircraft in the landing queue, followed by the SpiceJet aircraft.
Air India and IndiGo are planning to take up the matter with the regulator.
‘Reasons not clear’
“We are baffled by the action. The grounds for suspension are not clear. Whenever there is congestion at the airport, planes are asked to hold. Our aircraft was on hold for 20 minutes, and since the Air India plane was ahead of IndiGo’s, the pilot wanted to land first,” an Air India official said.
The Air India official said the airline was told that the pilots did not use the correct terminology while stating their fuel position to the ATC. “We will ask the DGCA to revoke the suspension,” the official said.
An IndiGo spokesperson said the airline was taking up the matter with the DGCA, and there was no violation of any regulatory norm.
IndiGo had said misinterpretation of information by the Air Traffic Control led to fire engines and ambulances being deployed at the time of the landing.
