The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is now in the court docket on allegations of not implementing safety rules regarding pilot fatigue. Delhi High Court can hear the contempt petition of Federation of Indian Pilots on 15 December. In the petition, DGCA has been seriously accused of deliberately disobeying the clear and binding orders of the court.

Claim of Federation of Indian Pilots FDTL rules not implemented

The Federation of Indian Pilots claims that non-proper implementation of flight and duty time limitation rules has directly affected the safety of passengers. According to the pilots organization, this negligence became the main reason for the aviation crisis that has been going on for the past one week, due to which big airlines like IndiGo had to face operational crisis and thousands of flights across the country were canceled or delayed.

Federation of Indian Pilots DGCA accused of

In the petition filed in the Delhi High Court, it has been said that the DGCA had assured the High Court this year that the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) 2024 would be implemented on time, but on the contrary, the airlines were given the freedom to relax the rules and extend the time. All this was done without the permission of the court, whereas it was promised that the rules would be fully implemented by November 1. FIP alleged that the FDTL framework prepared by the airlines does not match the standards on which the DGCA had agreed before the High Court in April 2025. This has been described as a direct disobedience of the court’s orders.

Pilots and crew present in sufficient numbers – Pilot Organization

The pilot organization has also completely rejected the claim of shortage of pilots in the Delhi High Court. It has been said in the petition that there are sufficient number of pilots and crew present in the sector, but the airlines are not putting them on duty at full capacity. Despite pilots being available for regular roster duties, they are being placed on flexible contracts with limited flying hours. During the hearing held last month, the High Court had allowed FIP to file additional documents and made it clear that if the orders are not followed, strict action can be taken for contempt.

Delhi High Court car Orders were given even before implementation of 2024

The Delhi High Court had earlier cleared the way for the implementation of CAR 2024 by disposing of the petitions of pilot organizations and directed the airlines to submit their FDTL plans to the DGCA within three weeks. The court had clearly said that ignoring the rules will not be accepted in future. The government had assured the court that the new FDTL rules would be implemented in a phased manner. At the same time, 15 provisions will be implemented from July 1, 2025 and the remaining 7 provisions will be implemented from November 1, 2025. Now DGCA will have to answer before the court on the implementation of these promises and orders.

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The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has recently written a letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation demanding immediate stoppage of flights of all Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft in view of technical faults and maintenance related problems. Citing the main reason behind this step, the Pilot Association said that due to continuous technical problems and weakness in maintenance of Air India aircraft, DGCA has recently started a special audit.

According to FIP, several serious technical malfunctions have been reported on B-787 aircraft in recent months. These incidents have not only raised questions on aviation safety, but also posed serious risks to passengers and pilots. The pilots’ association has urged the DGCA to conduct a detailed and thorough inspection of the electrical systems of all Boeing 787 aircraft operated in India.

Details of recent events

4 October 2025: The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) suddenly became active during landing in Air India flight AI-117 going from Amritsar to Birmingham. This incident happened in the last leg of the flight. However, upon investigation the crew found that all electrical and hydraulic parameters were normal and the aircraft landed safely at Birmingham Airport. After this the plane was temporarily stopped for investigation.

9 October 2025: Air India flight AI-154 coming from Vienna, Austria to New Delhi had to be diverted to Dubai due to a possible technical fault. After investigation, the plane took off again from Dubai at 8:45 am (Indian time) and reached New Delhi safely.

According to the pilots association, in both these incidents, the autopilot system suddenly failed, due to which many technical glitches were revealed. Affected systems included the autopilot, instrument landing system (ILS), flight directors (FDs), and flight control systems, which disrupted the aircraft’s autolanding capability.

mention of old events

FIP also drew the government’s attention to the Air India plane crash that took place in Ahmedabad on June 12. The organization says that technical faults occurring in B-787 aircraft in the country are not being investigated in depth, due to which air safety is being compromised.

The pilots association said that ever since the maintenance of Air India aircraft has gone into the hands of new engineers, such incidents have increased. Earlier, when AIESL (Air India Engineering Services Limited) was handling the maintenance work, such technical problems were rarely seen.

Three main demands of FIP

• Intensive Investigation: A thorough and impartial investigation into the recent incidents at AI-117 and AI-154.
• Stopping flights: All B-787 aircraft of Air India should be temporarily grounded and a detailed investigation should be carried out for recurring technical problems including electrical systems.
• Special Audit: A special audit should be conducted by senior officials of DGCA, which should include investigation of MEL (Minimum Equipment List) release and recurring technical glitches, especially in Boeing-787 aircraft.

Air India statement

Tata Group-owned Air India has completely rejected claims of recent technical glitches. The company said that the opening of the RAT in AI-117 on October 4 was ‘uncommanded’, and there was no threat to the aircraft or passengers. All electrical and hydraulic systems were normal and the aircraft landed safely at Birmingham Airport. After this the aircraft was temporarily stopped for investigation and after completion of the investigation it took off again on 5 October.

Air India also clarified that the safety of passengers and crew is always their top priority. The airline said that the opening of the RAT was not due to any technical fault or pilot error and this has been seen in other airlines before.

What do the experts say?

According to experts, the ever-increasing technical faults in B-787 aircraft are posing a serious safety risk. If these are not checked and stopped in time, it can have a major impact on air safety.

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