Airline pilots will now receive extra weekly rest as a part of revised flight duty time rules issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on January 8

“The revised regulations mandate increased weekly rest periods from 36 hours to 48 hours for flight crew, thus ensuring sufficient time for recovery from cumulative fatigue, “ Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement.

DGCA regulations specify the number of hours a pilot can fly. It also covers aspects such as the rest period between two flights. Pilot unions in India had flagged long duty hours, inadequate rest, and fatigue as concerns and even moved to court against the prevailing norms, seeking a change. There were also a few instances of pilots suffering sudden cardiac arrests on duty.

A draft of new regulations was issued in November, 2023 for suggestions and objections. The revised norms were announced today. Airlines have been given time till June 1 to comply with the new norms. 

For purpose of night duty, the definition of night has been amended and it will now cover period from midnight to 6:00 a.m instead of midnight to 5:00 a.m under the earlier rule. Maximum duty time and number of landings that pilots can make is restricted to two under the revised rules.

“In addition, DGCA has mandated that all airline operators shall submit quarterly fatigue reports after analysis, including the action taken on such reports. Further, it has been stipulated that the fatigue reports shall follow a non-punitive and confidentiality policy,” the statement said. DGCA further envisages to the adoption of a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) going forward.

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