DGCA proposes revised regulations to address pilot, cabin crew fatigue
New Delhi, November 4: In an effort to address concerns related to pilot and cabin crew fatigue and associated health issues, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) released a draft proposal on Friday, outlining revised regulations for duty periods, flight time limitations, and rest periods for flight crew engaged in scheduled air transport operations.
Under the proposed rules, which are now open for public consultation, the DGCA aims to reduce the maximum flight duty period for pilots operating during the night (between 12 am and 6 am) from 13 hours to 10 hours. The existing flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms currently do not distinguish between day and night flights and allow pilots to be on duty for up to 13 hours within a 24-hour period.
The draft proposal emphasises the use of fatigue reports as an effective tool for identifying and mitigating crew fatigue. Each airline operator is required to establish a clear policy for handling fatigue reports, outlining not only the process for raising such reports but also the appropriate actions to be taken in response to them. The operator's executive responsibility for managing fatigue shall be explicitly defined.
_9f2425391e9484b102010c2ca43c21ae_1280X720.webp)
Operators are mandated to maintain records of all fatigue reports and action taken reports for a minimum period of one year and make them available to the DGCA upon request. Additionally, the Head of Operations is tasked with submitting quarterly reports to the DGCA, summarizing the fatigue reports received and the actions taken during the preceding quarter.
A senior DGCA official noted that the draft proposal was developed in collaboration with airlines, pilots, and cabin crew members to address fatigue concerns. The proposal is currently open for public comments and is expected to be implemented following the necessary procedures.
The DGCA initiated this review of pilot fatigue data in response to the unfortunate incident of an IndiGo pilot who fell unconscious while on duty at Nagpur airport on August 17 and subsequently passed away. Numerous other instances of flight delays due to pilots refusing to fly due to fatigue and excessive workloads were also considered during the review.
- ANI
