All posts tagged: FDTL

Pilots’ union writes to PM Narendra Modi, urges to replace DGCA with autonomous Civil Aviation Authority

Pilots’ union writes to PM Narendra Modi, urges to replace DGCA with autonomous Civil Aviation Authority

Published by Webster

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) with an autonomous statutory body to oversee India’s rapidly expanding aviation sector. In a detailed proposal submitted to the Prime Minister, FIP president Captain C.S. Randhawa called for the creation of a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), arguing that India’s aviation safety regulator needs greater administrative and financial independence. Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, please visit the following link: Source link

Pilots’ body writes to DGCA over continued FDTL relaxations, cites safety risks

Pilots’ body writes to DGCA over continued FDTL relaxations, cites safety risks

Published by Parlour News

The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) not to relax Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, warning that repeated relaxations to airlines have weakened fatigue safeguards and could compromise flight safety. The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) not to relax Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms (Shutterstock/ Representative photo) In a letter dated May 1, the pilots’ body said repeated exemptions granted to airlines have effectively become the norm, allowing rostering at or near regulatory limits without adequate safety buffers. This comes two days after two pilots died of heart attacks. An Air India pilot on Wednesday died in Bali during scheduled rest, while the Akasa Air pilot passed away during training in Bengaluru. “We write to place on record a set of concerns that bear directly on flight safety, regulatory credibility, and the well-being of flight crew, especially in view of the recent death of pilots in this week. These issues arise in …

Pilots’ body moves Delhi HC against DGCA’s FDTL exemptions

Pilots’ body moves Delhi HC against DGCA’s FDTL exemptions

Published by Parlour News

New Delhi The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), a union of Air India pilots deployed on wide-bodied aircraft (Boeing 777 and 787), has moved the Delhi high court seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Union government for granting exemptions to airline operators, including Air India, from implementing the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms. On December 5, amid massive flight cancellations, the aviation regulator granted IndiGo a temporary one-time exemption from some night operations-related changes. (HT Archives) In its petition, filed through advocates Prerna Kohli and Neetika Bajaj, the IPG has asserted that the DGCA allegedly failed to comply with the undertakings given to the court in February and April. In February, DGCA informed the high court that the FDTL norms would be implemented in two phases. Of the 22 proposed clauses, 15, including increasing pilots’ weekly rest from 36 to 48 hours, were scheduled to take effect from July 1. The remaining seven clauses, including the revised definition of night duty, were to be implemented …

IndiGo chairman rubbishes claims that airline engineered crisis; says board was engaged on FDTL rules for ‘many months’ | Business News

IndiGo chairman rubbishes claims that airline engineered crisis; says board was engaged on FDTL rules for ‘many months’ | Business News

Published by Parlour News

In his first public statement since widespread operational disruptions hit IndiGo last week, the chairman of the airline’s board Vikram Singh Mehta rejected allegations that the crisis was engineered and that the airline tried to influence the government over the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules. Mehta also said that claims that the airline’s board was not engaged on the FDTL issue are “not correct”. The IndiGo chairman announced that the airline’s board will involve an external technical expert to work with the management and help determine the root causes and ensure corrective action, “so that this level of disruption never occurs again”. Apologising for the disruption that impacted tens of thousands of passengers, Mehta said that while he had been urged to make a statement on the issue, he chose to wait because the airline’s board felt that its first duty was to support IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and his team, restore operations, and help passengers who were affected. With the airline’s operations now stabilised, Mehta said that he felt it was the …

IndiGo crashed — and we’ll still have to fly it, because we hardly have alternatives

IndiGo crashed — and we’ll still have to fly it, because we hardly have alternatives

Published by Parlour News

As of December 5, more than 2,100 IndiGo flights have been cancelled across Indian airports, leaving passengers stranded and airports in complete disarray. Videos of understandably frustrated people screaming at hapless airline desk employees have been circulating. Along with cancellations, IndiGo’s operational troubles have spread to its on-time performance (OTP), which plummeted to 8.5 per cent on Thursday, down from 19.7 per cent and 35 per cent in the previous two days. OTP is a key measure of flight punctuality, and IndiGo’s figure is usually in the high 80 per cent range, which is a matter of pride for the aviation giant. The net loss to consumers due to the flight disruptions will be significant. Surge pricing costs: 1,000 flights were cancelled just on Friday. Assuming each flight carries around 160 passengers on average, this results in 1,60,000 passengers stranded. Some would have abandoned their trip, while others would have rebooked their flight at a premium, increasing their outflow. Many would have cancelled their trips, which would crystallise all the sunk costs – further travel …

IndiGo admits planning gaps behind roster chaos, seeks time till Feb 10 to stabilise

IndiGo admits planning gaps behind roster chaos, seeks time till Feb 10 to stabilise

Published by Parlour News

New Delhi: IndiGo has acknowledged that the airline’s operational disruptions and flight cancellations stemmed from misjudgment and planning gaps in implementing the second phase of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules. It has requested time until February 10 to fully stabilise operations. Raipur: Stranded passengers at Swami Vivekananda Airport amid flight disruptions, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)(PTI) The acknowledgement came as civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu reviewed the disruptions and cancellations with officials from his ministry and IndiGo. In a statement, the ministry said Indigo has been directed to normalise the operations at the earliest and ensure that it does not lead to an increase in fares. It added that the situation was being closely monitored. The statement said Naidu met senior officers of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and instructed them to inform all airport directors to constantly monitor the situation and provide all support to stranded passengers. “The minister also directed DGCA [Directorate General of Civil Aviation] to closely monitor the airfares during the flight disruptions/cancellations,” the statement …

FDTL norms row: Delhi High Court reluctant to initiate contempt against DGCA

FDTL norms row: Delhi High Court reluctant to initiate contempt against DGCA

Published by Parlour News

The Delhi high court on Tuesday said that it was not prima facie convinced to initiate contempt proceedings against the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for granting exemptions to certain airline operators from implementing the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms. A file photo of Delhi high court in New Delhi. A bench of justice Amit Sharma expressed its reluctance while considering a petition filed by the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the DGCA for allegedly failing to comply with the undertakings given to the court in February and April. In February, the DGCA had told the high court that the new FDTL norms would be rolled out in two phases. Of the 22 proposed clauses, 15, including increasing pilots’ weekly rest from 36 to 48 hours, were scheduled to take effect from July 1. The remaining seven clauses, such as the revised definition of night duty, were to be implemented from November 1. The changes deferred to November proposed classifying duty periods between midnight and 6 …

Airlines ask DGCA for fatigue management system before implementing new FDTL rules, call for phased rollout | Business News

Airlines ask DGCA for fatigue management system before implementing new FDTL rules, call for phased rollout | Business News

Published by Parlour News

Indian aviation heavyweights IndiGo and the Air India group want the aviation safety watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to put in place a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) framework for them to fully effect contentious changes in the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules for crew, The Indian Express has learnt. Both airlines are understood to have proposed timelines of phased implementation starting June 2025. In letters to the regulator earlier this month, the carriers informed the DGCA about their proposed timelines for implementing the changes, the most contentious among which include changes in night flying hours and allowed landings, and an enhancement in mandatory weekly rest period for pilots to 48 hours from the current 36 hours. In March this year, the DGCA deferred its decision to implement the new FDTL rules from June 1 without mentioning a new implementation deadline. Airlines had been voicing concerns that quick implementation of the new rules—aimed at better fatigue management—would result in a requirement of many more pilots, whom they would not be able to …