Air India Express (AIE) has recast its schedule effective February 15 to comply with the new Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Guidelines of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

An AIE release said here on Friday that the in accordance to the new CAR guidelines, which emphasises on safety and addresses the fatigue of pilots, AIE has to make certain changes in its flight schedules.

A majority of the flight timings will be changed to day time effective February 15 so as to avoid the WOCL (Window of Circadian Low) phase.

It said that certain flights will be combined so that the sectors remain connected and only in a minuscule cases, flights have to be cancelled.

In case a flight is cancelled, the passenger will be informed by the AIE's reservations staff and alternative arrangements will be made available, it said.

Since the requirements of pilots have gone up substantially, the airline has already initiated a recruitment drive to meet the increase in requirement of pilots. Some of the curtailed frequencies will be restored as more and more pilots become available, the release said.

What is Window of Circadian Low?

Window of Circadian Low (WOCL) is best estimated by the hours between 0200 and 0600 for individuals adapted to a usual day-wake/night sleep schedule, says Air India Express.

This estimate of the window is calculated from scientific data on the circadian low of performance, alertness, subject report (peak fatigue), and body temperature.

For flight duty periods that cross three or fewer time zones, the WOCL is estimated to be 0200 to 0600 home-base/domicile time.

For flight duty periods beyond three or more time zones, the WOCL is estimated to be 0200 to 0600 home-base/domicile time for the first 48 hours only.

> vinayakaj@thehindu.co.in

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