DGCA allows Air India to temporarily extend duty, rest hours for long-haul crew: Report

These temporary measures will cede once a concrete solution to the pilots' issues is found.

In order to tackle airspace ban by Pakistan, which has led to longer flight routes and flying hours, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed Air India to temporarily extend the maximum rest periods and duty hours on long-haul flights. Reuters reported that this exception for Air India is valid only for 2 weeks beginning April 30, and valid for Boeing and Airbus long-haul jets.

According to the memo accessed by the news agency, the exemption is only applicable for Air India flights to and from the United States of America (USA). It states that the temporary measures will cede once a concrete solution to the pilots' issues is found.

Airspace closure

Since Pakistan's closure of its airspace to Indian carriers, Indian airlines have been staring at longer flight times and increased aviation fuel costs. As per Reuters' estimates, Air India could face up to $600 million in additional costs if Pak airspace stays shut for a year. The agency reports that the carrier has asked the government to compensate for this loss.

What do the exemptions say?

As per the DGCA's memo, the maximum flight duty period — which refers to the time between reporting for duty and the end of flight-related activities — can be increased.  Flight duty periods are longer than flight durations as pilots and crew arrive at the airport well before the flight timings for checks and to prepare for the journey ahead.

As a result of this exemption, the stipulated maximum flight duty period for flights of up to a 12 hour duration is now 16 hours. Earlier, this period was set at 14 hours.

And for flights longer than 14 hours, the maximum flight duty period has increased from 22 hours to 24 hours, as per the memo accessed by the agency.

At layovers an extra rest period of four hours has been planned for crew, and at homebase this duration has been increased to 12 hours over the current limits.

Reuters quoted an Air India pilot a saying that the measures are "extreme". The agency quoted sources as saying that the DGCA is in regular talks with air carriers to take measures so that pilot and crew are not overburdened.

India shut its airspace for flights emerging from Pakistan after 26 people were killed by terrorists affiliated to Pak-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba's offshoot The Resistance Front (TRF) in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. India also shut down the Attari-Wagah land border, suspended trade with Pak, put the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, and expelled Pakistani military attaches. Pakistan also shut its airspace for Indian aircraft amid fears that India would mount military action.