A new controversy related to flight safety has come to light in India. The Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPAI) has written a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) objecting to increasing the Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) for Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. DGCA has recently changed the rules related to duty time limits for Dreamliner aircraft with two-pilot crew. According to the new rules, 10 hours of flight time has been reduced to 10 hours 30 minutes and 13 hours of duty has been reduced to 14 hours. The association says that this change is a matter of serious concern and may increase fatigue.

ALPAI, in its letter to DGCA, said that the already imposed limit of 10 hours was enough to increase fatigue. The pilots argued that there is no shortage of pilots in the country, hence there is no point in extending the deadline. However, the letter said that the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on Flight Duty Time Limit was based on scientific and international research, aimed at preventing performance degradation due to pilot fatigue. The policy was made in line with the recommendations and guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). ALPAI accused DGCA of Commercial airlines have focused more on convenience than safety.

FAA instructions and seat recline problems

In their letter, the pilots have also mentioned the recent directive of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) FAA-2024-0218. Under this directive, the ability to recline the captain’s seat in the Boeing 787 aircraft has been banned for safety reasons. ALPAI said that this seat recline restriction makes it difficult for pilots to rest during long flights. This has a direct impact on their performance. In view of this situation, many airlines in the world have decided to include additional pilot crew in their Boeing 787 aircraft to reduce the risk of fatigue, but in India, DGCA on the contrary increased the duty period of the two-man crew, which according to ALPAI is not the right step.

comparison with international standards

Experts associated with the aviation world say that this change made in India’s FDTL standards is contrary to global standards. In America, Europe and Australia, flight duration and duty time are decided on the basis of fatigue. In these countries, three or four pilots are usually employed on long flights so that each crew can get adequate rest in between. Aviation experts believe that the two-pilot system in long-haul flights like Boeing 787 is risky in terms of safety. There is already additional pressure on pilots due to the recent increase in flight schedules in India and expansion of international operations.

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