Too old to fly in US, but OK for India

MUMBAI: In a practice that flies in the face of the rules of their home country, 40 US pilots over the age of 60 are flying passenger aircraft in India. In the US, they would not have been allowed to do so. Apart from these 40 pilots, there are another 26 senior-citizen American pilots in the queue, awaiting approval from India’s aviation authority, according to sources. These pilots do not possess a valid licence to fly passengers, nor are they put through the rigorous annual medical examination that Indian pilots of their age have to compulsorily clear. The retirement age of pilots in India is 65. Of the three airlines employing such pilots, two are major carriers operating long-haul international routes while the third is a low-cost domestic airline. "They are also rostered to operate international flights which is high-risk," said the source. Those in the aviation industry warn that in event of an accident, the ramifications for India will be serious. "Such an accident could dent India’s aviation safety image," said Capt M Ranganathan, a Boeing instructor pilot. For instance, if a Boeing is involved in an accident, the aviation regulatory authorities of the country where the aircraft was manufactured — the US in this case — will be part of the investigations. The US’s Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board will require the US pilots to produce their licence for investigation. The only licence they can produce is the FAA one, which is not valid for flying passengers. "Apart from the insurance of aircraft being invalid, the FAA can even cancel the permit given to such airlines to operate in the US," said the source. Careers of the other pilots in the cockpit will also be in jeopardy even if they have valid licences, as they will be grounded and blacklisted by insurance companies as per rules. The accident could also put the airline concerned in the EU’s blacklist of unsafe carriers. What is of immediate concern is that these pilots cannot be deemed medically fit to operate passenger Boeing 747s and A340s. "In the US, pilots over 60 can fly only general aviation and cargo aircraft. So they are not put through any rigorous tests," said a pilot. Apart from cursory medical tests like basic blood test, ENT test, general fitness test, etc, 60-plus pilots in the US only have to undergo an ECG every year. In contrast, their Indian counterparts have to annually clear a treadmill test, blood chemistry test and prostate test, apart from a host of other fitness exams.