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The "deliberate" crash of a Germanwings flight by its co-pilot last month has prompted a review of the system of assessing mental health of pilots in India.
Sources have told NDTV that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's aviation regulator, has been asked to formulate new norms to assess mental health of commercial pilots following a review meeting chaired by Civil Aviation Minister A Gajapathi Raju.
Under existing rules, pilots have to undergo physical fitness tests every six months, but there is no system in place to evaluate their mental health. A psychometric test is conducted only at the time of joining an airline.
"No decision has been taken as to what kind of tests will be done. But we need to upgrade our tests," said a senior official of the aviation ministry.
The aviation regulator is in discussions with the Directorate of Medical Services to broadbase the current range of tests that pilots regularly undergo. For example, a pilot is presently checked only for alcohol content in the blood before operating a flight. "This can be widened to check substance abuse," the officials said.
The reported review assumes significance in the wake of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association warning the DGCA, in a letter on Thursday, about the "mental stress" of 30 co-pilots on account of poor work conditions, partial pay cut and lack of growth opportunities.
Officials, however, pointed out that a Germanwings-like situation on an Indian carrier is unlikely given civil aviation rules (CAR) that mandate the presence of a member of the cabin crew in the cockpit until the pilot returns. Prosecutors say the Germanwings co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, locked the pilot out of the cockpit before flying the plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 on board.
"At no point can a pilot operate the aircraft alone. This was done mainly to ensure that if a pilot is incapacitated for some reason, there's someone inside the cockpit who can open the door and allow the other pilot in. Now, of course, the whole scenario has changed," said former DGCA K Gohain.