Group flags pilot fatigue, urges Centre for revised flight duty norms

Consecutive night flights, more than 10 hours of flight duty and roster instability are some factors that cause pilot fatigue, according to studies

Mumbai: Raising concerns about pilot fatigue, pilots’ grouping FIP has urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to take steps for the implementation of revised norms on flight duty and rest period at the earliest.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), which has more than 6,000 members, had earlier also written to the Ministry on the revised Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) for pilots after the DGCA postponed its implementation.

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The revised CAR related to flight duty time limitation seeks to provide more rest time for pilots amid rising concerns over pilot fatigue. In March, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) decided to postpone its implementation.

In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, FIP president CS Randhawa requested him to direct DGCA to implement the revised CAR at the earliest.

“…the action of the DGCA not only endangers pilot safety but also undermines the safety of passengers, which the implementation of the revised CAR could prevent,” the letter said, referring to the regulator’s move to postpone implementation of the CAR.

The letter, dated July 29, also claimed that the watchdog’s failure to recognise the gravity of the fatigue issue not only jeopardises the lives of pilots but also gravely compromises the safety of the general public travelling by air.

On March 26, DGCA deferred the implementation of the CAR that was to come into effect from June 1. The decision had come less than two weeks after the regulator told airlines that the deadline would not be deferred.

Last month, a study by NGO Safety Matters Foundation said consecutive night flights, more than 10 hours of flight duty period and roster instability are among the factors leading to pilot fatigue.

The online survey that covered 530 respondents, most of them captains with significant hours in operating medium short-haul flights, was done from July 16-22.

As many as 84 per cent of the pilots are concerned with the speed and direction of shift rotation, while 83 per cent of respondents are worried about the onset of fatigue due to consecutive night flights, as per the study.

“Nearly 70 per cent of pilots in the survey considered that more than 10 hours of flight duty period profoundly influenced the onset of fatigue. NASA and EASA scientific studies have recommended a maximum of 10 hours of flight duty period,” it had said.