Mumbai: Air India pilots who operate the 14-16 hour long flights from Delhi to New York, San Francisco and other such routes have been asked to put in extra hours of duty in order to accommodate the longer hours of flying due to Pakistan airspace closure. They also have to sign a consent form before they operate these flights.
Air India’s non-stop flights from Delhi to the US are operated by two sets of pilots. These flights are no longer non-stop as they fly the longer route over the Mumbai airspace to circumvent Pakistani airspace and then land in Sharjah to refuel.
The duty/rest time periods of pilots are strictly monitored in order to prevent fatigue as it directly impacts flight safety. In India, pilots are rostered Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms laid down by the DGCA. They also list the extra duty a pilot can be rostered for during “unforeseen operational circumstances”. In the past, Air India pilots have done extra duty hours during emergencies like the Kuwait war and the Yemen crisis, but this is the first time that pilots who fly the fatigue-inducing, ultra-long haul routes between India and the US have been asked put in extra hours.
“We are happy to serve the nation and work extra hours. But while the DGCA has allowed AI to extend the pilots’ duty hours beyond what its own norms permit for such unforeseen circumstances, have they ensured safety?’’ asked a senior commander.
In a note sent to its pilots, Air India said that for these long and ultra-long haul flights, the DGCA has permitted an increase in flight time by three hours and increase in flight duty period (pilot’s reporting time at the airport to the moment the aircraft stops, post flight) by four hours. Also, DGCA has allowed Air India to roster pilots for two consecutive nights. Air India has asked its pilots to sign a consent form before they operate these extra duty hour flights. The DGCA and AI are silent on the rest to the given to pilots after these extra hours and two straight nights.
Said the commander: “During unforeseen circumstances, DGCA FDTL allows flight time to be increased by a maximum of only 90 minutes. But here they have increased it by 3 hours. Also, flight duty time can be increased by only 3 hours but here it is four hours. The FDTL is usually based on some science on fatigue management, but these extensions aren’t.”
Capt M Ranganathan, an air safety expert said: ``It’s a multiple waiver. It makes a mockery of fatigue risk management.’’ Referring to the dispensations allowed on FDTL, he said that the regulator had allowed an extra landing (pilots will land in Sharjah to refuel), permitted an extension of flight time and duty time, all in violation of the Delhi High Court order. ``The airline and the regulator have insulated themselves by making the crew sign a consent letter. So if it comes back for contempt of court, it will go as a violation by the crew and not as something the company or the DGCA wanted,’’ Capt Ranganathan said.
In April last year, the Delhi High Court directed the DGCA to not allow dispensations to the FDTL in response to a petition about fatigue among Indian pilots filed by Kerala-based lawyer Yeshwant Shenoy. The petition alleged that the DGCA, on several occasions, had granted dispensations to FDTL to allow airline operators to extend the duty hours of pilots beyond the maximum limit laid down under the FDTL.
03/03/09 Manju V/Times of India
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Air India’s non-stop flights from Delhi to the US are operated by two sets of pilots. These flights are no longer non-stop as they fly the longer route over the Mumbai airspace to circumvent Pakistani airspace and then land in Sharjah to refuel.
The duty/rest time periods of pilots are strictly monitored in order to prevent fatigue as it directly impacts flight safety. In India, pilots are rostered Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms laid down by the DGCA. They also list the extra duty a pilot can be rostered for during “unforeseen operational circumstances”. In the past, Air India pilots have done extra duty hours during emergencies like the Kuwait war and the Yemen crisis, but this is the first time that pilots who fly the fatigue-inducing, ultra-long haul routes between India and the US have been asked put in extra hours.
“We are happy to serve the nation and work extra hours. But while the DGCA has allowed AI to extend the pilots’ duty hours beyond what its own norms permit for such unforeseen circumstances, have they ensured safety?’’ asked a senior commander.
In a note sent to its pilots, Air India said that for these long and ultra-long haul flights, the DGCA has permitted an increase in flight time by three hours and increase in flight duty period (pilot’s reporting time at the airport to the moment the aircraft stops, post flight) by four hours. Also, DGCA has allowed Air India to roster pilots for two consecutive nights. Air India has asked its pilots to sign a consent form before they operate these extra duty hour flights. The DGCA and AI are silent on the rest to the given to pilots after these extra hours and two straight nights.
Said the commander: “During unforeseen circumstances, DGCA FDTL allows flight time to be increased by a maximum of only 90 minutes. But here they have increased it by 3 hours. Also, flight duty time can be increased by only 3 hours but here it is four hours. The FDTL is usually based on some science on fatigue management, but these extensions aren’t.”
Capt M Ranganathan, an air safety expert said: ``It’s a multiple waiver. It makes a mockery of fatigue risk management.’’ Referring to the dispensations allowed on FDTL, he said that the regulator had allowed an extra landing (pilots will land in Sharjah to refuel), permitted an extension of flight time and duty time, all in violation of the Delhi High Court order. ``The airline and the regulator have insulated themselves by making the crew sign a consent letter. So if it comes back for contempt of court, it will go as a violation by the crew and not as something the company or the DGCA wanted,’’ Capt Ranganathan said.
In April last year, the Delhi High Court directed the DGCA to not allow dispensations to the FDTL in response to a petition about fatigue among Indian pilots filed by Kerala-based lawyer Yeshwant Shenoy. The petition alleged that the DGCA, on several occasions, had granted dispensations to FDTL to allow airline operators to extend the duty hours of pilots beyond the maximum limit laid down under the FDTL.
03/03/09 Manju V/Times of India
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