Airlines seek more time for implementation of revised flight duty norms

IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and Air India Express have sought more time for the phased implementation of the revised flight duty norms as they flagged increased crew requirements and emphasised the need to put in place fatigue risk management system to monitor fatigue among the pilots.

Sources said the airlines have informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that the norms can be operationalised in a phased manner starting from June 2025 at the earliest.

However, with the implementation horizon still not clear for the norms, which were initially to come into effect from June this year, three pilots' bodies have told aviation watchdog DGCA to ensure that the new regulations be fully implemented from February 15 at the earliest, the sources said.

 

By mid-February, fog season, which generally causes flight disruptions due to low visibility conditions, will be ending.

The sources also said that pilots' associations are of the view that the CAR under which norms have been revised is independent of the Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) and both should not be clubbed.

The matter of DGCA's revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) is before the Delhi High Court, which is hearing related pleas filed by the Indian Pilots Guild, Indian Commercial Pilots Association and Federation of Indian Pilots.

Following the court directive, a meeting was convened by the regulator on December 18 that saw the participations of representatives from the airlines, pilots' groupings and the civil aviation ministry.

The differences over the revised norms also come at a time when airlines are expanding their fleets and networks, which will also mean having more pilots, to meet rising air traffic demand. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets.

IndiGo has informed the regulator that the CAR (Civil Aviation Requirements) can be implemented starting from June next year, with weekly rest period for pilots to be increased from 36 hours to 40 hours, the sources said.

The impact of the change will be assessed with a view to potentially increase the weekly rest period after June 2025, the airline told the regulator.

Among others, the airline has informed the watchdog that from October 2026, it will restrict night landings for a pilot to a maximum of two during the night period of 12 am to 5 am, subject to certain conditions.

The sources said the IndiGo has told the watchdog that the revised definition of night as 12 am to 6 am will have a severe operational impact and has pitched for retaining the existing time frame of 12 am to 5 am.

The sources said IndiGo has also mentioned that the overall impact of implementing the changes would require around 3 per cent increase in crewing requirements.

In their submissions to DGCA, Air India and Air India Express said the CAR can implemented in a phased manner starting from June 2025 to ensure a smooth transition, as per the sources.

They have also told the regulator that new definition of night duty and increased rest periods, among others, will raise practical concerns.

While noting that these measures will be best realised within a FRMS, they have flagged that prescriptive regulations may not fully capture the dynamic nature of fatigue risks and lack validation through data specific to its operations, the sources said.

SpiceJet has informed the regulator that once the revised CAR is implemented, the crew strength required would increase by 20-25 per cent.

The airline had recently gone through a phase of attrition of pilots to other operators and is presently in the process of building up the strength with extensive pilot induction and training. The present shortfall may also be considered prior to implementation, the sources said citing the carrier's submission.

Further, SpiceJet has told DGCA that it would be ideal if the applicability date of the revised CAR is made March 2026.

The CAR, unveiled on January 8, proposed significant changes to the existing norms to tackle fatigue among pilots.

The weekly rest periods are to be increased to 48 hours from 36 hours now, and for the purpose of night duty, the definition of night is to be 12 am to 6 am. At present, night time is defined as the 12 am to 5 am period.

Also, the maximum flight time and maximum flight duty period for flight operations at night are to be restricted to 8 hours flight time and 10 hours, respectively. The number of landings at night is to be confined to two landings as compared to 6 landings allowed at present.

Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court during a hearing on pleas from the pilots' associations on the fatigue norms asked DGCA to have a meeting with the associations, airlines and the ministry on December 18 (Wednesday).

During the meeting, airlines presented their views and sought more time for implementing the norms, the sources said.

On March 26, DGCA deferred the implementation of the CAR that was to come into effect from June 1. The decision had come less than two weeks after the watchdog told airlines that the deadline would not be deferred.

In January, the civil aviation ministry said the revised FDTL norms will be a stepping stone towards implementation of FRMS, which is a data-driven approach to enhance monitoring and reporting of flight crew fatigue.