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Mahesh

24/03/24 12:54 PM IST

DGCA new rules for pilots

In News
  • The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has rejected a request by airlines to postpone new pilot duty norms.
New Rules
  • The new rules provide enhanced weekly rest for pilots which has gone up from 36 hours to 48 hours.
  • The rules have also reduced night-time flying, which is known to contribute to fatigue and impact alertness levels as sleep is displaced from the optimum part of the circadian rhythm.
  • Earlier, a pilot could carry out six landings during night-time flying, which has now been reduced to two.
  • The night-time shift has been extended by an hour to 6 a.m, from the earlier midnight to 5 a.m.
  • The maximum flight duty period for flights encroaching night-time has also been reduced from 10 hours to eight hours.
  • The DGCA also wants airlines to submit an analysis of fatigue reports submitted by pilots on a quarterly basis along with an action taken report.
  • It has also said that it plans to adopt a new regime of fatigue management, known as the Fatigue Risk Management System, which is a data-driven approach to enhance monitoring and reporting of flight crew fatigue though pilots are apprehensive that this could reduce existing rest periods prescribed in the rules.
Criticism
  • Airlines would be required to hire “15% to 25% more pilots” when it takes approximately 8-10 months to release a newly inducted pilot for flying.
  • The FIA warned that the June 1 deadline could result in the cancellation of 15%-20% of flights by most airlines as well as cancellation of some long-haul international flights.
  • In response, the DGCA reiterated that it will stick to the June 1 deadline.
Pilots registered with DGCA
  • Many airlines like Air India and Vistara are already grappling with pilot shortages compared to aircraft strength.
  • As on December 2023, there were a total of 771 aircraft with various Indian airlines and 9,524 commercial pilots registered with the DGCA.
  • Additionally, there were 67 foreign pilots too due to a shortage of commanders on certain aircraft type such as the Boeing 777.
  • India’s commercial airlines are likely to nearly double fleet size to 1,400 by fiscal year 2029-30, shows CAPA data.
  • This will mean airlines will have to add 10,900 additional pilots by 2030, which is nearly 1,600 new pilots a year. Last year, the regulator issued 1,272 commercial pilot licences.
Source- The Hindu

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