The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) seems determined to implement new duty norms for pilots starting 1 June, 2024. The new norms are to ensure more time for rest and minimise night-time flying for pilots. However, the airlines had sought the implementation to be postponed as they would need to hire more pilots and train them to be able to adhere to the new norms.
These new norms are being enforced by the DGCA following recent instances of pilot deaths. In a recent case, a pilot had died of a cardiac arrest just before he was to fly. These deaths were attributed to the taxing flying schedules of the pilots, which was taking a toll on their health. Therefore, DGCA had written to the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) on 14 March asking them to address the issue immediately.
The Federation, which comprises various airlines, including IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India had requested the DGCA to grant more time to be able to comply with the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. This request was not considered by the DGCA, which is determined to bring the new FDTL into effect on 1 June 2024, and expects all airlines to do the needful to make this happen.
As per the new FDTL, pilots will now get 48 hours to rest every week and will not have to deal with more than two landings during night hours. Additionally, the earlier night hours, from midnight to 5 a.m. in the morning will now be extended to 6 a.m.
That is not all; it is mandatory for all airlines to follow a non-punitive confidential process of submitting fatigue reports every quarter.
As per the DGCA, the Civil Aviation Requirement or CAR provisions may be perceived as limiting by certain entities and liberal by others, but the main objective of the same is to ensure that passengers are flown safely and pilots’ health is not affected. The DGCA also asserts that the time required for recruiting and training new pilots has been factored in while setting the deadline for implementation of the new norms.
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