Aviation regulator DGCA has decided to defer the new rest rules for pilots, known in aviation parlance as flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules.
The new rules — announced in January — increased flight crews’ weekly rest periods to 48 hours from 36 and cut pilots’ night flight duty times to a maximum of 10 hours from 13.
The rules were supposed to come into effect from June 1. Under pressure from the airlines, the DGCA has agreed to defer the deadline.
The regulator said airlines can continue to comply with the old FDTL norms, issued in 2019, “till approval of their respective scheme in compliance with this CAR (civil aviation requirement)”.
The airlines argued that the new rules would require them to increase pilot recruitment by 20-25 per cent. They said they would need at least eight to 10 months to find the new pilots.
The new norms provide for more rest time for pilots and seek to alleviate pilot fatigue.
The latest decision comes less than two weeks after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told airlines that the deadline for implementing the revised FDTL norms will not be deferred.
Another official said implementation of the revised FDTL norms has been deferred for some time to enable thorough consideration of all elements.
Last week, Tata Group-owned Air India was fined Rs 8 million ($96,000) by the regulator for breaching limits on flight duty times and fatigue management.