Aircrew cannot fly for two days after Covid-19 vaccination: DGCA

The DGCA in a new set of guidelines has held that pilots and cabin crew will be 'Medically Unfit for Flying' for 48 hours after the Covid-19 vaccination. The new guidelines state that if there are no symptoms after 48 hours, the aircrew will be deemed fit to resume 'unrestricted' flying duties.

New Delhi: India's aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday issued guidelines for the pilots and cabin crew and said that they can not fly for two days after the Covid-19 vaccination.

"Aircrew will be 'Medically Unfit for Flying' for 48 hours after vaccination. If there are no symptoms after 48 hours, the aircrew is fit to resume 'unrestricted' flying duties," the order undersigned by DGCA chief Arun Kumar stated.

The order further stated that if, after 48 hours, the pilot experiences any symptoms, he/she will be reviewed by the treating physician/company doctor or his/her AMA.

"Such pilots can be declared fit for flying duties provided they are asymptomatic without any medications and a 'medical cure certificate' to this effect to be obtained," Arun Kumar said in the order.

If the medical unfitness period post-COVID-19 vaccination is more than 14 days, then a 'Special Medical Examination' will be required to ascertain fitness for flying, he added.

Meanwhile, in another development, DGCA has ordered airlines to increase the random pre-flight breath analyser (BA) test for all pilots and cabin crew from 10% to 25% in domestic operations.

According to a DGCA official, the aviation regulator will further review the situation in a few months and then the testing requirements will be increased to 50% and then ultimately to 100%.

For international operations, 100% pre-flight BA test per day is being carried out as per previous norms.

The DGCA had on March 29 last year suspended alcohol test for all aviation personnel due to the extraordinary circumstances posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the aviation regulator had in September ordered airlines to resume pre-flight alcohol test for 10% of pilots and cabin crew members.