Pilot refuses to operate Lucknow-Chennai fight due to fatigue: What are flight duty time limitation norms?

In India, the civil aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) keeps a close watch on FDTL compliance by airlines as well as flight crews.

Overview of FDTL norms in India

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) mandates that the country where an aircraft operator or airline is based shall establish regulations for the purpose of managing fatigue. The civil aviation authorities of the country are required to issue prescriptive regulations for flight time, flight duty period, duty period, and rest period limitations. In India, these prescriptive regulations are issued and overseen by the DGCA.

The regulations stipulate different categories of maximum flight duty periods per day based on maximum permitted landings and flight time. Among other things, the regulations also stipulate mandatory rest periods between flight duty periods, in-flight rest periods for long-haul flights, other mandatory rest periods, guidelines for scheduling night operations, and maximum cumulative flight time and duty period limitations per week, two weeks, four weeks, 90 days, and one year. The norms also include special guidelines and norms for operating ultra-long-haul flights, and some leeway for airlines and flight crew in cases of unforeseen operational circumstances, including weather-related diversions.

According to the DGCA, airlines are required to establish their own limitations on these counts within the framework of the fatigue management regulations issued by the regulator. As per the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), these regulations are based on ICAO standards and international best practices of the US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Airlines’ responsibility

Every airline is required to formulate its own FDTL scheme, which must be compliant with the regulations issued by the DGCA. The FDTL scheme needs to be approved by the DGCA and must be a part of the airline’s operations manual.

The DGCA rules prohibit airlines from asking flight crew to operate a flight if the prescribed time limitations are exceeded. In addition, carriers are not supposed to ask a crew member to operate a flight if it is known or suspected that the “flight crew member is fatigued to the extent that the safety of flight may be adversely affected”.

Airlines are also required to prepare flight crew rosters “sufficiently in advance”. The roster should be published at least for a seven-day period and the weekly rest period must be mentioned clearly. The regulations also include detailed guidelines on balanced crew scheduling practices that airlines should follow.

In addition to the training flight crew on fatigue management, carriers are required to maintain a system of fatigue report management, using which incidents of crew fatigue can be brought to light. Such a system should follow a non-punitive and confidential policy, which should also define the response to a fatigue report. Executive responsibility for addressing fatigue management needs to be defined by the airline. Carriers are required to preserve all fatigue reports and the consequent action taken reports for a minimum of one year. The DGCA is free to seek these reports from airlines as and when needed.

Responsibility of flight crew members

The key reason why there are frequent instances of pilots refusing to operate flights citing fatigue or FDTL norms is that the DGCA’s regulations on FDTL stipulate the responsibility and accountability of flight crews as well. The regulations expressly prohibit flight crew members from accepting assignments that exceed the prescribed limitations. Additionally, they are also not supposed to perform duties if it is known or suspected that they are fatigued “to the extent that the safety of flight may be adversely affected”.

Members of the flight crew are also supposed to ensure that they are fully rested and fit to discharge their flight duties. “Flight crew members shall make best use of facilities and opportunities that are available or provided for rest and for the consumption of meals, and shall plan and use rest periods to ensure that they are fully rested,” the DGCA regulations say.