Air India has received Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA’s) nod of approval for Multi Seat Flying (MSF). Now Air India can have common pilots trained to operate two aircraft types in its fleet - Boeing 777 and 787. The regulator has reportedly taken this decision considering shortage of skilled labour and to fall back on trained pilots in times of need.
The airline will soon start a trial phase with a small batch of pilots, before deciding on further expansion of the program. The airline will initially train eight designated and experienced examiners four each from 777s and 787s who will eventually be allowed to fly any of the two widebody aircraft
“This exercise will enable us to collect empirical data and decide the future course of action on scaling up the trial. The demand has been there for quite some time, but such a decision involves extensive due diligence which is why it took time,” explained a DGCA official.
Air India will have to select its most experienced crew, who will undergo intense training before they are allowed to operate both airplanes. Experts believe that this approach needs to be handled very carefully, with third-party oversight ensuring that strict adherence to protocols is being observed and pilots are adequately trained to handle both aircraft types.
A DGCA official has said that each of the eight selected pilots will require to have at least 150 hours of flying experience on the new aircraft, with at least 10 landings.
Air India recently announced that it will hire 900 pilots this year and eventually, will need thousands more as new planes join its fleet over the next decade to cover its massive order of 470 airplanes.