New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday
acceded to the request of the Directorate General of Civil
Aviation (DGCA), which sought more time for submitting its
views on the directive that pilots have to give six-month
notice to an airline before leaving their job.
During the proceedings, the counsel appearing for the
civil aviation regulator submitted that it would consult the
Ministry of Civil Aviation on the issue.
A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah
adjourned the matter till August 4.
On July 10, the High Court had directed the DGCA to
clarify its stand on the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR)
issued by it in September 2005, directing the pilots to give
the mandatory six-month notice before leaving the airline.
The Court`s direction had come in response to a petition
filed by Jet Airways challenging the order of a
single-member Bench of the Delhi High Court, which had in May
2009 allowed pilot Captain Randeep Pratap Singh Panag to leave
the company.
According to the CAR, a pilot has to give six months`
notice to the company until and unless he/she gets a
no-objection certificate. However, the DGCA in the circular
has stated that if the terms and conditions of service are
unilaterally changed by an airline, then the notice period
will not apply.
Captain Panag has challenged the CAR in court and
contended that it was issued when there was a severe pilot
shortage.
Bureau Report
