Flight duty norms revised; pilots to get weekly rest time of 48 hours

In a major relief for pilots in dealing with fatigue, aviation watchdog DGCA on Monday came out with revised norms that increase their weekly rest time to 48 hours and limit the number of landings to two during night operations.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also extended the night hours for pilots and now, it covers the period from 0000-0600 hours whereas it was 0000-0500 hours earlier.

Besides, all airlines have to compulsorily submit quarterly fatigue reports, which "should follow a follow a non-punitive and confidentiality policy".

The revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms for the flight crew, prepared after data analysis and stakeholder consultations, also come at a time when there are rising concerns about pilot fatigue, especially after an IndiGo pilot collapsed and died at Nagpur airport in September last year.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said a bunch of much-awaited reforms in FDTL for pilots has come through.

"The introduction of these reforms in the civil aviation sector would be a substantial step forward in addressing pilot fatigue, enhancing overall flight safety and balancing it with the projected growth of the aviation sector in India," an official statement said on Monday.

The airline operators are required to comply with the revised regulations latest by  June 1.

The amended norms mandate increased weekly rest periods to 48 hours from 36 hours earlier for the flight crew to ensure "sufficient time for recovery from cumulative fatigue".

"After in-depth analysis of pilot rosters, fatigue-related reports and direct feedback from pilots, we have introduced revised 'FDTL Regulations' that include, increased rest periods, redefining night duty, and regular fatigue reports to be shared by airlines.

"In addition, we will soon transition towards a new regime of fatigue management i.e. Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS), which will be a data-driven approach to enhance monitoring of flight crew fatigue," Scindia said in a post on X.

The minister also emphasised that the latest changes -- that are very much in line with international best practices -- will ensure India has the necessary arsenal, as it prepares to clinch the largest domestic aviation market title in the future.

Regarding the night hour extension, the statement said the enhancement of one hour during the early morning will ensure adequate rest and also align the night duty period, which encompasses Window of Circadian Low (WOCL) from 0200-0600 hours.

WOCL is the time during which the circadian body clock cycle is at its lowest in terms of alertness.

The revised regulations have also taken into consideration different types of operations across time zones.

The maximum flight time and maximum flight duty period for flight operations encroaching night have been restricted to eight hours and ten hours, respectively.

The number of landings has been limited to two as against the maximum permissible six under the previous regulations during night operations, thus enhancing flight safety, the statement said.

As per the statement, the June 1 deadline for implementing the revised norms would ensure sufficient time for airline operators to adapt to the changes while taking into account the logistics, system changes and consequential arrangements.

The FDTL regulations have been instrumental in managing fatigue-related aviation safety risks for more than a decade now, it added.

In November 2023, the DGCA came out with draft amendments to the FDTL norms.

To address and mitigate concerns on pilot fatigue through a data-driven approach, the DGCA analysed extensive numbers of pilot rosters, along with pilot fatigue reports submitted by airline operators.

"Based on the study and analysis, some of the key areas inducing fatigue such as maximum Flight Duty Period, Night Duty, Weekly Rest Period, Flight Duty Period Extension etc. were identified.

"The revised FDTL regulations have been formulated after extensive data analysis and feedback from various stakeholders which includes airline operators, pilot associations and individuals," the statement said.

It also said that the worldwide best practices -- of FAA in the US and EASA in the European Union -- have also been taken into consideration in amending the regulations while keeping in mind the specific operating environment in India.

Further, the DGCA is looking to adopt a new regime of fatigue management -- Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS).

The revised FDTL regulations are a stepping stone towards FRMS implementation in India, the statement said.

The FRMS is a data-driven approach to enhance monitoring and reporting of flight crew fatigue.

The collaboration of various aviation stakeholders such as regulator, airline operators and flight crew will be required to implement stringent monitoring, record keeping and reporting to ensure adherence to a FRMS regime, it said.

Leading carriers Air India and IndiGo have introduced tools to analyse and keep a tab on pilot fatigue.