Pune: Following the reduction in the rest period of the cabin crew on Air India’s long-haul flights by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the airline crew has alleged that the changes are unscientific and a violation of air-safety rules. The DGCA had changed the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules that govern the duration of rest period for crew, on Air India’s request.
Current FDTL rules have been in effect since November 1, 2010 after they were approved by the then DGCA head and present Election Commissioner Naseem Zaidi following discussions on the rest period being scientifically applied.
The notification related to the reduction in the rest period was issued in July by Lalit Gupta, deputy general manager, DGCA and are likely to be implemented from January 1 for cabin crew operating long-haul flights to the US and Europe. Based on these changes, Air India has started preparing new roster charts for long-haul flights from January 1.
16/12/12 Aditya Anand/Pune Mirror
