Amid pilot training challenges, Akasa Air has requested the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for regulatory exemptions from deploying CAT II/III-equipped aircraft and trained pilots for night-to-morning operations at Bengaluru and Kolkata airports. The airline warns of “significant disruptions” and passenger inconvenience at these key hubs.
This comes after the DGCA mandated all airlines operating from fog-prone airports—including Delhi, Amritsar, Bengaluru, and Kolkata—during nighttime and early morning to use aircraft with advanced low-visibility systems (CAT II/III) and adequately trained pilots. The move follows the early onset of dense fog this unusually warm winter.
Although Akasa has over 840 pilots for its fleet of 26 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, it reportedly lacks sufficient CAT III-trained pilots at its Bengaluru base. The airline, under regulatory scrutiny for training lapses, has been issued a show cause notice regarding simulator inaccuracies used for low-visibility training.
While Akasa claims compliance with northern India fog-prone operations, challenges persist for Bengaluru and Kolkata. Internal sources highlight that phased CAT III training is standard for new airlines and that Akasa is collaborating with the DGCA to meet the requirements.
The situation underscores the operational difficulties newer airlines face in maintaining regulatory standards while balancing passenger demands during critical weather conditions.
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