Pilot unions want Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to implement the new duty and rest norms from February 15, 2025 and have opposed airline pleas for a phased roll out from first June.

The demand was put forth at a meeting of DGCA officials and pilot unions in Delhi on Wednesday. This included representatives of Indian Commercial Pilots Association, Indian Pilots Guild and Federation of Indian Pilots. 

The meeting was convened on the directions of Delhi High Court which wants airlines and pilots to forge a consensus on timely rollout of the rules. While initially pilots sought immediate implementation, they later proposed February 15 deadline. Another meeting is proposed next month for DGCA to submit its views.

In January, the DGCA introduced new duty norms for pilots. These provide 48 hours of weekly rest (instead of the current 36) and restrict the number of flights a pilot can operate at night. The revised rules which help address issues of pilot fatigue were to come into effect on June 1 but have been put on hold by the regulator due to objections from airlines.

In its submission to the DGCA earlier this month, IndiGo proposed increasing the weekly rest period from 36 to 40 hours from June 2025. Air India said it ready to increase rest period to 48 hours from June 2025.

Also, IndiGo is opposing a proposed amendment to rules governing night operations. Under the revision, the number of landings a pilot can make will be restricted to two, and the definition of night will be changed from midnight to 6 a.m. instead of midnight to 5 a.m. IndiGo has said the proposed change in the night window will have a severe operational impact and has called for the retention of the current definition.

Air India has called for introduction of a fatigue risk management system (FRMS) and said that certain regulations pertaining to night duty, maximum duty period, etc can be implemented following its adoption.

“The revised rule which introduces certain changes to prescriptive measures such as new definitions of night duty, increased rest periods, and additional constraints raises practical concerns. These measures are best realised within an FRMS framework that ensures ongoing monitoring and scientific validation,” Air India told DGCA this month.

The airline has said that FRMS will bring in a data driven approach to fatigue management. Unions believe that airlines are pitching FRMS as a ploy to delay the roll out of new rest hour norms.

Published on December 20, 2024