India
DGCA proposes stricter safety oversight for wet-leased aircraft from abroad | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: India has taken steps to more effectively monitor wet or damp leased aircraft, where an Indian operator leases aircraft with crew from a foreign operator, as global supply chain constraints have led to a surge in the number of such aircraft here.
While all operational aspects are under the foreign operator, India airlines When choosing wet leases, only the commercial aspects of the flights with these aircraft are considered. The Directorate-General of Civil aviation (DGCA) now proposes to restrict wet/damp rentals only to countries with a reliable safety oversight system and to standardise the oversight of such activities.
“Indian airlines have been using wet/damp leasing of aircraft to tide over the short-term situation of unplanned grounding of aircraft due to various reasons. This trend of wet/damp leasing of foreign aircraft has increased in recent times in view of grounding of a significant number of aircraft due to engine and supply chain issues,” the DGCA said in a statement.
Wet/damp leasing of aircraft by an Indian airline involves leasing of foreign aircraft, including crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI), and the aircraft is under the operational control of the foreign operator (lessor). The operation of the aircraft is subject to the regulatory requirements of the concerned foreign civil aviation authority and the safety supervision of such operation also comes under the supervision of the foreign authority concerned. The role of Indian operators is limited to commercial aspects of the operations.
The Indian operator has published a draft for public consultation on the revised Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR or Rules) regarding wet/damp lease operations “to strengthen the regulatory framework for safety oversight of wet/damp lease operations.”
The proposed changes include:
While all operational aspects are under the foreign operator, India airlines When choosing wet leases, only the commercial aspects of the flights with these aircraft are considered. The Directorate-General of Civil aviation (DGCA) now proposes to restrict wet/damp rentals only to countries with a reliable safety oversight system and to standardise the oversight of such activities.
“Indian airlines have been using wet/damp leasing of aircraft to tide over the short-term situation of unplanned grounding of aircraft due to various reasons. This trend of wet/damp leasing of foreign aircraft has increased in recent times in view of grounding of a significant number of aircraft due to engine and supply chain issues,” the DGCA said in a statement.
Wet/damp leasing of aircraft by an Indian airline involves leasing of foreign aircraft, including crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI), and the aircraft is under the operational control of the foreign operator (lessor). The operation of the aircraft is subject to the regulatory requirements of the concerned foreign civil aviation authority and the safety supervision of such operation also comes under the supervision of the foreign authority concerned. The role of Indian operators is limited to commercial aspects of the operations.
The Indian operator has published a draft for public consultation on the revised Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR or Rules) regarding wet/damp lease operations “to strengthen the regulatory framework for safety oversight of wet/damp lease operations.”
The proposed changes include:
- Aircraft can only be leased for wet/humid conditions from ICAO Contracting Parties that have an average Effective Implementation (EI) score of 80% or higher (with a minimum of 70% in each area) in the areas of personnel licensing, airworthiness and operations, according to the latest results of the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).
- The state of the operator (lessor) must not have an active significant safety concern (SSC) according to ICAO USOAP.
- Provisions have been added to ensure that safety incidents are reported and that flight data and other required safety information is provided to DGCA.
- The Indian operator shall ensure that the foreign crew/personnel involved in the flight comply with the requirements for carrying a breathalyser in accordance with the policies and procedures approved by the DGCA for their own aircraft operations.
- DGCA inspectors have access to all aircraft data at any time during such operations for physical inspection of the aircraft.
- With the enhanced regulatory framework and standardized mechanism for monitoring such activities by DGCA, the period for such wet/damp leasing activities has been extended from the existing 3 months (extendable for further 3 months) to 6 months (extendable for further 6 months).
