The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an advisory stating that airlines may consider using local language for in-flight announcements “to extent feasible”. Announcements in local language would be adding up to the ones made in Hindi and English.
Likewise, to enhance awareness about the cultural heritage of India, pilots can make in-flight announcements about important monuments or sites enroute the flight, the advisory said.
The DGCA made it clear in its most recent advisory that airlines may make the aforementioned additional in-flight announcements without compromising any safety requirements or core job functions of crew members. The advisory added
“It is made clear that the announcements mentioned above are to be made without compromising the safety of operations at any stage,”.
On 22nd December, Goa minister Vijai Sardesai, whose GFP (Goa Forward Party) is a part of the BJP-led coalition government in the state, said his party workers should not let airlines to operate at the Dabolim airport if announcements are not done in their local language.
Notably the state has lone airport at Dabolim in south Goa.The official language of the coastal state is konkani.
“Blacking out Konkani at the Goa airport is not acceptable and we should project our language first,” Sardesai had said on December 22.
One such circular had already been announced by Airports Authority of India (AAI) in 2016 asking airports under its control to make public announcements in the local language followed by Hindi and English.
As on date there are more than 100 operational airports in India. “To improve awareness about cultural heritage of India, pilot can make in-flight announcement about the important monument or site (such as the Taj Mahal, the Konark Temple, the Statue of Unity ,the Ajanta Ellora and so on), those are enroute the flight,” the DGCA advisory stated.
