The MoCA analyst said, “The delay behind implementation of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTLs) can be attributed to the immediate shortage of pilots that will be created once the new norms are in force. Airlines will have to hire more pilots to overcome this shortage, which will need some time.”
The HC directive comes after pilot unions asked for reduced work hours
Both IndiGo and Air India say they will implement the revised duty and rest period for pilots in a phased manner from June 2025. The pilots’ bodies—the Indian Pilots Guild, Indian Commercial Pilots Association, and Federation of Indian Pilots—have told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that they want the new Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) to be fully implemented at the earliest. This comes after December 6, when Delhi High Court gave a directive to the DGCA to consider the implementation of the rules by early 2025.
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The MoCA analyst said, “The delay behind implementation of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTLs) can be attributed to the immediate shortage of pilots that will be created once the new norms are in force. Airlines will have to hire more pilots to overcome this shortage, which will need some time.” mid-day accessed the submissions made by airlines to the DGCA in which both IndiGo and Air India have agreed to switch to the revised norms but have stated that they will be unable to do so before June 2025.
Additionally, they have informed the DGCA through the submission that they would be able to only partially implement the rules by June 2025. Meanwhile, SpiceJet is seeking another year for the implementation, namely by March 2026. A senior DGCA official on the condition of anonymity, told mid-day, “The new rules require 48 hours of rest for pilots per week. Earlier, this was 36 hours of rest per week.”
IndiGo on the other hand is willing to increase the rest period from the current 36 hours to 40 hours starting June 2025. The airline told DGCA through its submission that it would assess the impact on operations and then think about increasing the rest period further to the required 48 hours. Air India, through its submission, informed DGCA that it will increase the rest period from 36 hours to 48 hours from June 2025. According to the submission made by IndiGO, “The overall impact of implementing the changes would require around a 3 per cent increase in crewing requirements.”
A ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) analyst told midday, “If the new rules are implemented, the pilots will be getting more rest which will reduce the fatigue related issues inside the cockpit increasing overall safety and reduce the human errors. This would also mean that flights might be cancelled due to a shortage of pilots, which will now be created due to reduced duty hours. The passengers may suffer due to this. On one end, the safety of the aircraft is at stake due to fatigue issues and on the other end, passengers would face discomfort because of flights getting cancelled or delayed.” Indigo has confirmed the submissions made to DGCA regarding the new FDTL norms. A copy of this document is available with mid-day.
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