Aviation

Now, pilots must alert passengers when they fly over monuments

Updated : December 28, 2018 11:21 AM IST

In a notification, the DGCA asked pilots to make in-flight announcements about important monuments or sites such as Taj Mahal, Konark Temple, Ajanta Ellora, Statue of Unity etc... that are en route the flight.

On Wednesday, the government directed all airports to make public announcements in local languages first, followed by Hindi and English.

Now, pilots must alert passengers when they fly over monuments

Aviation regulator DGCA has directed all airlines to use local languages while making in-flight announcements to enhance awareness about the cultural heritage of India.

In a notification, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked pilots to make in-flight announcements about important monuments or sites such as Taj Mahal, Konark Temple, Ajanta Ellora, Statue of Unity etc... that are en route the flight.

CNBCTV18.com has reviewed the notification.

On Wednesday, the government directed all airports to make public announcements in local languages first, followed by Hindi and English.

A senior airline executive said the advisory by the DGCA was impractical. “We cannot programme 25 different languages for announcements, system cannot handle so many,” he said, asking not to be named.

“The government has no business telling private airlines what kind of announcements to make, other than mandatory safety announcements,” he said. “Even if one assumes it is possible to see such things from so high up.”

The advisory by the flights standards directorate of the DGCA said that the above announcements be made without compromising the safety of operations at any stage. The advisory has been issued with the approval of the competent authority, it added.

The DGCA works under the aegis of the aviation ministry.

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