Pilots’ Association Urges Govt To Implement Flight Duty Norms After Deaths Of 2 Pilots This Week

The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) has raised concerns regarding the deferment of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms in a letter written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The association urged the aviation regulator to reject any proposals from airline companies seeking relaxation on the implementation of the norms.

The letter by the pilots’ association has come after reports of two airline pilots dying of heart attacks.

An Air India pilot died of a heart attack during rest hours in Bali on Wednesday, while an Akasa Air pilot suffered the attack during training in Bengaluru on Thursday. However, both the pilots were off-duty at the time of their deaths.

In a letter to DGCA chief Vir Vikram Yadav and Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, the pilots’ association sought a time-bound roadmap to implement the revised FDTL regulations, NDTV Profit reported.

It also asked for a transparent and accountable fatigue reporting mechanism with quarterly public disclosures. The association also demanded that pending inquiry reports and medical fitness data be disclosed to strengthen oversight and accountability.

The revised FDTL norms mandate a weekly rest period of 48 hours from 36 hours currently. The new norms also employ an expanded definition of night duty from 12 AM–5 AM to 12 AM–6 AM.

Night landings have also been capped at a maximum of two from six landings.

However, the implementation of the norms in December last year had created chaos after IndiGo operations were almost paralysed due to stricter duty norms.

The aviation regulator has given relaxation to airlines to avoid a similar situation.

At a time when war has resulted in closed airspaces across various countries in the Gulf region, the duration of overseas flights has increased.

However, the pilots’ body has asked the government to not allow airline companies to enjoy relaxation at the cost of pilot fatigue.