The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has made significant changes in the regulations pertaining to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) for flight crew, in line with the international best practices, said an official on Monday.
These regulations have been instrumental in managing fatigue-related aviation safety risks for more than a decade now.
“With a view to address and mitigate concerns on pilot fatigue through a data driven approach, the DGCA collected and analysed extensive numbers of pilot rosters along with pilot fatigue reports submitted by airline operators,” Director General, Civil Aviation, Vikram Dev Dutt said.
Based on the study and analysis, some of the key areas inducing fatigue such as maximum flight duty period, night duty, weekly rest period, flight duty period extension etc. were identified.
“The revised FDTL regulations have been formulated after extensive data analysis and feedback from various stakeholders which includes airline operators, pilot associations and individuals. The world-wide best practices (FAA – USA and EASA – EU) have also been taken into consideration in amending the regulations while keeping in mind the specific operating environment in India,” said Dutt.
According to DGCA, 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. PIB
