DGCA refuses to extend June 1 deadline to implement new FDTL rules

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has refused to extend the June 1 deadline for airlines to implement the new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots.

Last month, the Federation of Indian Airlines — which includes IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, and SpiceJet — wrote to the regulator requesting a deferral of the deadline by one year. They cited the need for approximately 25 per cent more pilots to implement the new norms and expressed concerns about their ability to hire and train that many pilots by June 1.

 

In a letter sent to airlines on Friday, the DGCA acknowledged the feedback from the airlines but emphasised that its “paramount” objective is to ensure the safety of the skies while promoting a conducive environment for the growth and competitiveness of the Indian aviation industry.

“We are sanguine that all airlines will harmonise their operating policies in tune with this overarching objective,” the regulator noted.

FDTL norms are important as they ensure adequate rest for pilots so that there is no untoward incident.

The DGCA has asked each carrier to take “all necessary steps” towards the rollout of the revised FDTL regulations, effective from June 1. It also requested the carriers to ensure that their revised internal FDTL schemes — in congruence with the revised FDTL regulations — are submitted to the DGCA for approval by April 15.

In a bid to ensure better fatigue management, the DGCA revamped the FDTL regulations on January 8. The latest rules include additional rest for pilots, revision of night duty regulations, and directives for airlines to submit pilot fatigue reports. The regulator has mandated airline operators to comply with the new notification by June 1 this year.

 

The new mandate increases weekly rest periods for flight crew to 48 hours per week from the previous 36 hours.

The definition of 'night' in the FDTL regulations has also been tweaked. Previously, night was defined as the time between midnight to 5 am. But now, night will cover the time between midnight to 6 am, giving flight crew an extra hour of rest during the early morning.