Guwahati: The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) on Saturday urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to suspend commercial flight operations to high-risk conflict zones in West Asia and to mandate disclosure and verification of valid insurance cover for flight crew.
In a communication to the regulator, ALPA called for the suspension to remain in force until a centralised and authoritative risk assessment is completed. It also sought binding directives in line with international best practices and intelligence inputs for operations in or near active conflict regions.
The association argued that commercial airlines lack the capability to independently assess threats in war zones, noting that intelligence gathering, surveillance and geopolitical risk evaluation fall outside their remit. Delegating such responsibilities to carriers, it said, could lead to inconsistent safety standards.
Referring to past instances of civilian aircraft being downed during conflicts, ALPA underscored the risks faced by passengers and crew operating in volatile airspaces across West Asia.
The body also expressed concern over the DGCA’s earlier advisory issued on March 19, which asked airlines to undertake their own risk assessments. “Such assessments fall squarely within the domain of sovereign authorities and specialised agencies,” the association stated, reiterating that it had first raised the issue with the regulator on March 18.
ALPA further highlighted uncertainty among pilots regarding the status of war-risk insurance coverage. It said no documentary evidence or formal assurance has been provided to confirm whether such coverage remains valid for operations in high-risk zones, suggesting that airlines may lack adequate insurance provisions.
Citing incidents such as the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 incident, Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 incident and Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crash, the association stressed the potential consequences of operating in conflict areas without robust safeguards.
It also called on the DGCA to initiate a detailed inquiry into decision-making processes within Air India, particularly the roles of its Vice President (Operations) and the Crew Scheduling Department, in relation to flights operating in West Asia.
ALPA said accountability must be fixed if it is found that crew and passengers were exposed to undue risk, especially in the absence of adequate war-risk insurance coverage.