No plans to reevaluate medical standards, cockpit policy: Government

NEW DELHI: Government today said it has no plans to re-evaluate medical standards for pilots and cabin crew, and cockpit policy in the wake of the recent Germanwings airline plane crash in the Alps, in which allegedly a mentally disturbed co-pilot crashed the plane killing all 150 people onboard.

The medicals standards for pilots/co-pilots for commercial flying are equivalent to the medical standards of class-I medical assessment of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and also of the medical requirements set up by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

The Minister said the DGCA has issued Aeronautical Information Circulars on certain medical conditions for experienced pilots as guidelines (on such issues).

With regard to the cockpit policy, the aviation regulator has already issued Air Safety Circular 3 of 2010 regarding manning of cockpit during non-critical phase of flight, he said.

The circular mandates that in case one of the flight crew members has to leave the cockpit during non-critical phases of flight, the cabin crew is required to be inside the cockpit and occupy the observer seat, he said adding in no case, the cabin crew would occupy the seat meant for cockpit crew.