AI Express to stop full night operations

Mumbai: The directorate general of civil aviation's (DGCA’s) new rules on pilots' duty time will increase the requirement of pilots for airlines because of increase in rest periods. However, for Air India Express, the impact is not limited to hiring more pilots.
The government carrier's low-cost arm will change flight schedules from next February because the DGCA rule places restrictions on pilots' duty time for flights operated after midnight. Most of AI Express' departures to the Gulf are in the late evening and night.
The DGCA's rules on flight duty time limitation for cockpit crew will come into effect from February. For the first time, the civil aviation regulator has specified pilot duty hours when flying during the window of circadian lows (WOCL). The WOCL is the period from 2-6 am, when the human mind and body alertness is lower than at other times of the day. Under the new rules, the total duty time of a pilot reduces by a certain margin in case he/she operates a flight during this period. Also, the new rules have restrictions on deputing pilots on consecutive night duties.
These measures were demanded by the pilots' union, which highlighted the issue of fatigue among pilots. The fatigue issue was also raised following the crash of the AI Express Boeing 737 at Mangalore last May.
05/10/11 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Categories: Air India Budget Oct 2011