Manpower crunch could result in aviation disasters Shahkar Abidi @abidi_shahkar Mumbai: The number of air passengers in India has seen a manifold increase in the last decade, but the sector remains grossly understaffed which could lead to disasters. Realising the gravity of the situation, officers’ association of the Air Navigation Service (ANS) has written to the civil aviation ministry about the manpower crunch and requested it to treat the matter on an urgent basis. The letter says the shortage should not be treated as part of the ongoing austerity drive at the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The ANS consists of staffers from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Communication Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) divisions. While ATC remains at the forefront of monitoring and managing air traffic, CNS provides it with the infrastructure. According to estimates, there are about 2,000 employees with CNS, approximately 1,500 less than the requirement. Similarly, the ATC has demanded an additional 2,000 staffers as it has only 2,200-plus employees across India. “Now, it has become regular for us to work overtime because of the staff shortage. It increases fatigue levels which could have a bearing on our concentration and subsequently, on air safety,” said a CNS official stationed in Mumbai. The seriousness of the issue can be gauged from the fact that at least 118 cases of airprox have been recorded in the last five years. Airprox refers to a situation when two aircraft come dangerously close to each other mid-air. According to a study done by leading aviation consultancy firm CAPA last year, the passenger traffic projection for India is likely to shoot up to 452 million in 2020-21 from 143 million in 2010-11. Sources said the issue is expected to be discussed in a meeting with senior AAI officials on Friday. Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh remained unavailable for comment. The ANS letter further says that the UN aviation safety watchdog, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), is very clear on upgrading and maintaining the safety of the aviation sector in the country. Therefore, there is a need for initial training, competence, and/or adaptation of new active operational staff, new roles, responsibilities and tasks to be defined and implemented. However, the acute staff shortage is defeating the purpose and attempts of the ICAO. “Safety is of utmost importance and the present staff shortage is severely compromising with it,” said YP Gautam, general secretary, AAI Officers Association. [email protected] Published Date: Sep 12, 2013 Source:DNA.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 02:58:46 +0000