Mumbai, March 27 The pilots' group, ALPA India, on Friday urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the regulator, DGCA, to suspend flight operations into high-risk conflict zones until a centralized risk assessment is carried out amidst the escalating West Asia crisis.
Highlighting the need for war-risk insurance, it also said the regulator should mandate immediate disclosure and verification of valid insurance coverage, including war-risk clauses, for all crew operating into or near conflict zones.
The conflict in the Middle East, involving the US, Israel, and Iran, has significantly disrupted flight operations, and airlines have curtailed their services.
In a letter to DGCA, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) said that commercial airlines do not possess the necessary intelligence, surveillance capabilities, or geopolitical risk assessment infrastructure to adequately evaluate threats in active conflict environments.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) should immediately review and suspend operations into identified high-risk conflict zones until a centralized and authoritative risk assessment is conducted, especially in light of the worsening situation, ALPA India said.
It also urged the regulator to establish clear, binding directives regarding operations in conflict regions, aligned with international best practices and based on intelligence inputs.
"A thorough inquiry should be initiated into the decision-making processes within Air India, particularly the roles of the Vice President – Operations and the Crew Scheduling Department, to determine accountability for exposing crew and passengers to such risks, particularly if found not to have adequate war risk insurance," the letter said.
On March 18, ALPA India also sought measures for war-risk insurance coverage for the crew and passengers.