2 Jan 2025
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) framed revised flight duty time limits to be implemented from January but redacted after the airlines’ protest.
The matter of the pilot rest period to be increased to 48 hours per week has seen IndiGo and Air India engaging in a legal battle with DGCA. DGCA also proposed that after every week off, airlines should schedule pilot shifts only from 10 am.
While IndiGo protested due to its impact on operations, Air India agreed to increase the weekly rest period to 48 hours from the current 36 hours. The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), an airline’s lobbying group, said the new guidelines will require up to 20% additional pilots. IndiGo mentioned it would need to hire up to 3% more crew.
While DGCA agreed to implement fresh rules after due consultation with both airlines in July 2025, the pilot unions demanded the new rules to be implemented by Feb 15th.
The airlines want DGCA to implement a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) before considering these guidelines.