NEW DELHI- In a recent communication, India’s aviation safety authority, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has requested Indian airlines to specify their readiness to adopt revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) regulations.
These updates encompass extended mandatory rest periods and additional measures to enhance pilot well-being by managing stress and fatigue more effectively.
New FDTL Rules
In a surprising move, the DGCA postponed the scheduled implementation of the new FDTL rules from June 1st, a decision aligned with directives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued on March 22nd.
The aviation safety regulator announced the delay without specifying a new timeline, allowing airlines to adhere to the existing FDTL rules until their own schemes under the new regulations are approved.
Airlines had expressed concerns regarding implementing the new rules, which enhanced fatigue management through adjustments like extended weekly rest periods and reduced night landings compared to current norms.
They estimated a need for approximately 20-25% more pilots, a demand they couldn’t meet through recruitment and training within the given timeframe.
In February, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), representing IndiGo (6E), Air India (AI), and SpiceJet (SG), had urged the DGCA to defer the new rules by a year, citing potential capacity reductions of 15-20% if the rules took effect on June 1st as notified in January.
Despite this plea, the DGCA remained resolute in its stance, insisting on compliance by the original deadline.
While the decision to postpone was welcomed by airlines, it left many pilots and their associations feeling disgruntled towards the DGCA and MoCA.
Beyond just the delay in the new rules, what exacerbated their dissatisfaction was the perceived leniency towards airlines, as the regulator didn’t even specify a new deadline for compliance with the regulations.
On April 1st, the Delhi High Court heard four cases related to FDTL. During the proceedings, Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain suggested that on the next hearing scheduled for May 8th, the DGCA should provide an approximate implementation date for the new FDTL norms.
Importance And Key Changes
Fatigue and exhaustion among flight crews are recognized as significant contributors to human errors in aircraft operations, with potentially catastrophic consequences.
Moreover, these conditions pose serious risks to the health of the crew. The DGCA highlighted instances of pilot deaths, ostensibly attributed to exhaustion, as it urged airlines to comply with the new regulations by June 1st.
Pilots across airlines have voiced concerns about increasing fatigue and stress stemming from prolonged flying hours, erratic rostering, and heightened crew utilization levels driven by airlines’ rapid expansion efforts. Recently, numerous Vistara pilots called in sick, leading to widespread cancellations and delays across the airline’s network.
Under the new regulations, key changes include extending the mandatory weekly rest period for pilots from 36 to 48 hours and reducing night flying by adjusting the definition of ‘night’ and limiting the number of night landings per crew.
These regulations require airlines to recruit and train more pilots to maintain current operations or reduce their scale. However, airline officials note that the process of hiring, training, and deploying pilots takes several months. A tight deadline provides insufficient time for carriers to adjust their operations, which could impact their business.
Proponents of swift implementation argue that airlines had ample time to prepare for the June 1st deadline, as the new rules were announced in early January, with prior consultation from the DGCA.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News.