DGCA panel to review call signs used by airlines

In order to strengthen air-safety measures, aviation regulator DGCA has constituted a committee to examine the use of “confusing or similar call signs used by airlines for their flights” and the committee is likely to suggest a time gap between flights which have some common digits in the flight numbers. For instance, if there are two identical digits in the call signs of two flights or if the first and last digits of two flight call signs is the same, a gap of one hour between the flights may be maintained. If there are two flights that have two identical signs belonging to different airlines, a gap of two hours between the flights may be maintained. The committee is likely to stipulate that there should be no use of the digits zero in the call signs since zero is used for denoting certain altitudes. There will be no use of the same three digits in a call sign of a flight, sources indicated.