No cabin crew for flights with up to 19 seats: DGCA

NEW DELHI: India's aviation regulator has accepted the airline industry's demand to allow charter aircraft with seating capacity of up to 19 people to operate without any cabin crew on board.

The decision taken by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) spells relief to the industry since as many as nearly 90% of the total 130 aircraft operated by Indian general aviation charter operators have less than 19 seats. The change in norms for these smaller aircraft is in line with global safety regulations.

Earlier, in case of an international flight beyond six hours of travel time, the operator had to carry an extra cabin crew member since the cabin crew member breaches flight duty time limitations after six hours.

Separately, the DGCA has initiated an inquiry into a complaint by a private airline that alleged low-visibility landing at Leh airport by two airlines last month.

"Two airlines violated safety rules by landing under low visibility on June 26. We have initiated an inquiry into the matter and any action will depend on the report," said a senior DGCA official, requesting not to be named.