The Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) has given more time for airlines to implement a key change in pilot rest rules that will come into effect on November 1, according to documents reviewed by ET.
Among other changes, the civil aviation regulator early last year had amended the definition of night hours for pilot duty, extending the period by an hour: from midnight to 6 AM instead of 5 AM. The regulator also capped the number of landings a pilot can do to two during this period, besides limiting the duty period to 10 hours.
The DGCA has now given exemption and has allowed pilots to do three landings if their duty period falls between 12 AM and 1:55 AM or 5 AM and 6 AM, but mandated that airlines should provide rest for a period which is double that of duty hours while operating such flights.
Research shows that operating during night hours especially, during 2-6 AM is more fatigue-inducing for pilots as the body’s clock cycle is at its lowest in terms of alertness.
People aware of the development said the extension was given for six months for smooth implementation.
“Airlines cited operational constraints. So a relaxation was allowed, but it has been mandated that pilots get more rest if they fly more during the night hours,” said a government official.
The DGCA did not respond to queries.
Pilots unions said that granting such dispensations or waivers defeats the purpose of framing regulations.
“The whole idea of framing rules on duty time limitations was based on extensive research and scientific study on human fatigue. Granting dispensations or deviations from defeats the very purpose of its creation and undermines the scientific basis on which it stands,” the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) said.
Airlines have already got a long preparation time as they managed to persuade DGCA to postpone the original date of implementation of 1 July by more than a year.
The regulator’s efforts to come up with the new rules followed complaints from several pilots stating they were being stretched by airlines as the existing regulations were leading to chronic fatigue, leading to concerns on aviation safety. In 2023, an IndiGo pilot died due to a sudden cardiac arrest at Nagpur airport minutes before operating a flight.
Airlines said they now expect to implement the changes without any significant disruptions.
“We have an adequate number of pilots to meet the increased requirements in the immediate future. However, we will continue to review pilot staffing based on our ongoing expansion of fleet and network,” an Air India spokesperson said.
Airline executives, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the requirement of pilots will increase significantly as the carriers fasten the pace of induction of new planes starting the middle of next year.
“Right now there will be no disruptions as many aircraft are grounded, increasing the availability of pilots, but it will significantly increase the cost structure as airlines will have to increase crew strength by 3-10%,” an executive said.
A permanent solution, they said, is to move away from a prescriptive model to allow airlines to develop their own safety management systems.
In this process known as Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS), airlines collect data and analyse them using software to monitor fatigue-inducing patterns or incidents among their pilots. Global aviation watchdog ICAO also prescribes the use of FRMS against the traditional approach of regulators prescribing limits.
“A one-size-fits-all rule is not ideal as operations differ from each other. Airlines like IndiGo and Air India have invested heavily on software like Boeing Alertness Model which are suited to study fatigue. The DGCA should take these practices into consideration,” one of the executives said.
Last month, the DGCA released a draft framework for industry consultations. It said airlines may continue under the existing prescriptive model or opt for FRMS as an alternative if they can demonstrate through data and monitoring that safety is maintained.
Among other changes, the civil aviation regulator early last year had amended the definition of night hours for pilot duty, extending the period by an hour: from midnight to 6 AM instead of 5 AM. The regulator also capped the number of landings a pilot can do to two during this period, besides limiting the duty period to 10 hours.
The DGCA has now given exemption and has allowed pilots to do three landings if their duty period falls between 12 AM and 1:55 AM or 5 AM and 6 AM, but mandated that airlines should provide rest for a period which is double that of duty hours while operating such flights.
Research shows that operating during night hours especially, during 2-6 AM is more fatigue-inducing for pilots as the body’s clock cycle is at its lowest in terms of alertness.
People aware of the development said the extension was given for six months for smooth implementation.
“Airlines cited operational constraints. So a relaxation was allowed, but it has been mandated that pilots get more rest if they fly more during the night hours,” said a government official.
The DGCA did not respond to queries.
Pilots unions said that granting such dispensations or waivers defeats the purpose of framing regulations.
“The whole idea of framing rules on duty time limitations was based on extensive research and scientific study on human fatigue. Granting dispensations or deviations from defeats the very purpose of its creation and undermines the scientific basis on which it stands,” the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) said.
Airlines have already got a long preparation time as they managed to persuade DGCA to postpone the original date of implementation of 1 July by more than a year.
The regulator’s efforts to come up with the new rules followed complaints from several pilots stating they were being stretched by airlines as the existing regulations were leading to chronic fatigue, leading to concerns on aviation safety. In 2023, an IndiGo pilot died due to a sudden cardiac arrest at Nagpur airport minutes before operating a flight.
Airlines said they now expect to implement the changes without any significant disruptions.
“We have an adequate number of pilots to meet the increased requirements in the immediate future. However, we will continue to review pilot staffing based on our ongoing expansion of fleet and network,” an Air India spokesperson said.
Airline executives, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the requirement of pilots will increase significantly as the carriers fasten the pace of induction of new planes starting the middle of next year.
“Right now there will be no disruptions as many aircraft are grounded, increasing the availability of pilots, but it will significantly increase the cost structure as airlines will have to increase crew strength by 3-10%,” an executive said.
A permanent solution, they said, is to move away from a prescriptive model to allow airlines to develop their own safety management systems.
In this process known as Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS), airlines collect data and analyse them using software to monitor fatigue-inducing patterns or incidents among their pilots. Global aviation watchdog ICAO also prescribes the use of FRMS against the traditional approach of regulators prescribing limits.
“A one-size-fits-all rule is not ideal as operations differ from each other. Airlines like IndiGo and Air India have invested heavily on software like Boeing Alertness Model which are suited to study fatigue. The DGCA should take these practices into consideration,” one of the executives said.
Last month, the DGCA released a draft framework for industry consultations. It said airlines may continue under the existing prescriptive model or opt for FRMS as an alternative if they can demonstrate through data and monitoring that safety is maintained.
