Summary
- Indian carriers are concerned about latest pilot rest rules impacting operations. They’re asking for more time to comply.
- The regulator recently revised pilot rest rules to increase the night period, reduce duty hours, and cap the variety of landings.
- Airlines are saying they might need to extend pilot strength by as much as 25% to satisfy the brand new guidelines.
Indian carriers are nervous concerning the possible implications of the brand new pilot rest rules over their operations in the approaching months. In light of recent conversations regarding pilot working hours and fatigue in India, the aviation regulator revised rest rules for pilots, allowing them more time between flights. But with just a number of months before they arrive into effect, airlines are nervous that they could impact their business.
Airlines want more time
India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), recently revised the flight duty rules for pilots in India. It rewrote the definition of the night period and prolonged it by an hour from 12 am-5 am to 12 am-6 am. Moreover, it reduced the duty period of pilots to 10 hours and capped the variety of landings a pilot can do to 2.
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The aviation watchdog has also reduced the period for which airlines can exceed the limit during unexpected circumstances out of their control, corresponding to inclement weather or ATC delays, from three to 2 hours.
These latest rules will likely be implemented from June 1, but Indian carriers are nervous that they will likely be unable to satisfy this requirement so soon without their operations being affected. Airlines are saying they may need to extend their pilot strength by 25%, and hiring so many cockpit crew members is not going to be possible in such a short while.
The brand new rule could force carriers to cancel as much as 20% of their flights, they usually have requested the DGCA to defer the implementation of this rule by a yr.
Vistara To Hire More Pilots By June To Meet Duty Time Norms
The airline is doing this to comply with the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations.
Operational challenges
While airlines recognize the difficulty of pilot fatigue, they feel their operations will likely be affected in the approaching months before things stabilize. The Economic Times quotes a senior airline executive as saying,
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Hopefully, the conversation will proceed, and airlines and the aviation regulator will come to an understanding that can profit all of the stakeholders involved.
Discussion Around Pilot Fatigue Intensifies In India
The recent incidents of pilot deaths have brought the main target back on pilot fatigue in India.
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