ICAO charts fatigue path for pilots

Mumbai: If India follows the new International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) directive, drowsy and fatigued pilots would soon be a thing of the past.
The ICAO has sounded a wake-up call to several countries with a directive which states that regulations for a pilot's rest periods should be "based on scientific principles and knowledge''.
Fliers may not be aware of this but many countries, including India, do not follow science-based work-rest schedules for pilots. The ICAO deadline for implementing this new directive is November 19. "The text issued in this regard is the result of over eight years of work in ICAO,'' an official said. "It includes, for the first time, a precise definition of fatigue to facilitate its assessment and contains new guidance for prescriptive regulations on Flight-Time Duty Limitations (FTDL) aimed to ensure pilot fatigue does not endanger flight safety,'' he added.
Currently, India follows a work-rest pattern formulated in 1992. The Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had brought into effect scientifically worked-out rest rules in 2007 only to roll them back following pressure from airlines.
Pilots of Jet Airways and Air India moved the Bombay high court last year against the DGCA and the airlines, seeking reinstatement of the 2007 FDTL. But the pilots' associations lost the case and the country went back to the 1992 work-rest schedule. Now, with the ICAO stepping in, the DGCA will have to do away with the 1992 cockpit crew rest rules.
DGCA officials said they had not yet received any letter from ICAO in this regard.
29/04/09 Manju V/Times of India

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Apr 2009, Safety Apr 2009