'Jeopardising safety': DGCA warns airlines against allowing unauthorised entry to cockpit

The aviation safety authority DGCA urged airlines on Friday to rigorously adhere to regulations and to educate pilots and cabin workers on how to avoid incidences of unauthorised entrance into the cockpit. The regulatory body has also issued a warning that any violation of the applicable law regarding unauthorised cockpit entry will be dealt with harshly and may result in harsh enforcement action. The DGCA's action follows two recent instances in which unauthorised individuals were admitted to the cockpit during authorised flights.

In an advisory, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked the heads of operations of all scheduled airlines to "prevent any unauthorised entry in the cockpit through appropriate means."

Also read: Air India cockpit entry case: DGCA suspends pilot's licence for 1 year; check details

Unauthorised individuals are not permitted to access the cockpit, and any such entry could violate DGCA safety regulations.

"Instances of unauthorised entry into the aircraft cockpit have been reported to DGCA in the recent past, wherein persons having no authority or purpose, were permitted entry into the cockpit," the regulator said in the advisory.

According to DGCA, "such an unauthorized presence in the cockpit is likely to distract the attention of cockpit crew from their sensitive functions and can lead to errors which may jeopardize the safety of the aircraft operations."

It should be noted that on June 3, the Pilot-in-Command of an Air India flight travelling from Chandigarh to Leh permitted an unauthorised individual to enter the cockpit just before takeoff, and the person remained there the whole trip.

Also read: Air India grounds two pilots for inviting woman into cockpit, second such case

Prior to this, on February 27, during a flight from Delhi to Dubai, the pilot of the Tata Group-owned Air India gave a female friend access to the cockpit.

For failing to adequately handle the "safety-sensitive issue" connected to the incident of the Delhi-Dubai flight, the DGCA fined Air India Rs 30 lakh. The flight's pilot's licence was also suspended for three months, while the co-pilot was allowed off with a warning.

However, in the other incident (the flight from Chandigarh to Leh), the safety regulator suspended the First Officer's and Pilot-in-Command's pilot's licences for one year.

Also read: DGCA issues show cause notice to Air India CEO as pilot allows friend in cockpit

The Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) 17 of 2019 specifies the individuals permitted to enter the cockpit and take the jump seat, according to the DGCA's guidance on Friday.

"All the heads of operations are hereby advised to sensitize their pilots and cabin crew members to strictly follow the AIC and prevent any unauthorized entry in the cockpit through appropriate means," DGCA said.

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