Air India Receives DGCA Approval for Cross-Body Use of Widebody Pilots; the same pilot may fly B777, 787 aircraft

Aviation regulator DGCA has approved Air India’s long-pending application to allow the same pilots to operate two types of Boeing widebody jets, officials said.

Initially, Air India can train a total of eight designated examiners to operate Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft. Four designated examiners will be trained to operate 777s and another four to fly 787s, a senior Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said.

The cross-use of existing pilots, where they can fly two different aircraft, will help the airline as it embarks on ambitious international expansion plans.

In general, a nominated examiner is an experienced pilot who has been authorized by the regulatory body to perform various tests and checks as per civil aviation requirements. The examiner is an employee of the airline concerned.

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Under the plan approved by the DGCA, each of the eight designated examiners should have 150 flight hours with at least 10 landings to operate Boeing 777s and 787s separately, the official said.

Air India’s proposal was approved by the regulator on March 3.

An Air India official said the airline has received regulatory approval for Multi-Seat Flying (MSF), which broadly means the same pilot can fly two types of aircraft and there will be an intensive training process.

The DGCA official said pilot cross-use is being tracked by airlines in around 16 countries. Air India currently has around 700 widebody pilots.

There was no immediate comment from Air India on any issues regarding DGCA certification.

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Air India, which was acquired by Tata Group in January last year, has around 1,825 pilots and is also hiring more pilots as the airline expands its operations.

Last month, Air India ordered 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, including 70 wide-body aircraft.