<p>The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) has grounded 11 pilots and six crew members of GMR for three months as mandatory checks were skipped, a charge denied by the company.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The DGCA action came as one of its team found that several flights operated by GMR Aviation last month, including one on Monday when its aircraft flew Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to Bhubaneshwar, had skipped some mandatory tests.<br /><br />The tests included the pre-flight breath analysis of pilots and cabin crew, with the breathalyser equipment being non-functional, sources said. The non-scheduled charter operator’s documentation and equipment were monitored between March 12 and April 14 and DGCA found evidence of “false” pre-flight medical checks, sources said.<br /><br />GMR’s Falcon 2000-Lx, one of the most advanced business jets in the country, is used extensively by the Gandhis, who also use its Hawker-750 airplane and two Bell choppers. The regulator also decided to act against the company’s doctor for issuing pre-flight medical certificates to the crew even when the breathalyser equipment was not working for almost a month. <br /></p>
<p>The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) has grounded 11 pilots and six crew members of GMR for three months as mandatory checks were skipped, a charge denied by the company.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The DGCA action came as one of its team found that several flights operated by GMR Aviation last month, including one on Monday when its aircraft flew Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to Bhubaneshwar, had skipped some mandatory tests.<br /><br />The tests included the pre-flight breath analysis of pilots and cabin crew, with the breathalyser equipment being non-functional, sources said. The non-scheduled charter operator’s documentation and equipment were monitored between March 12 and April 14 and DGCA found evidence of “false” pre-flight medical checks, sources said.<br /><br />GMR’s Falcon 2000-Lx, one of the most advanced business jets in the country, is used extensively by the Gandhis, who also use its Hawker-750 airplane and two Bell choppers. The regulator also decided to act against the company’s doctor for issuing pre-flight medical certificates to the crew even when the breathalyser equipment was not working for almost a month. <br /></p>
