NEW DELHI: The deadline set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for airlines and other stakeholders to respond to its advisory on the Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) for pilots ends on Monday, so Air India has decided to adopt the new system. However, a leading pilot association has said that the system in its present form raises serious concerns.
The FRMS places responsibility on airlines to ensure strong reporting mechanisms and maintain schedules that give cockpit crew enough opportunities for rest and sleep. The advisory also stresses that no punitive action should be taken against pilots who declare themselves fatigued and unfit to fly.
Air India sources told The New Indian Express that the airline has decided to comply with the norms proposed by the aviation regulator.
Captain Anil Rao, General Secretary of The Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA), representing nearly 1,000 pilots in India and abroad, said that ALPA supported the scientifically based management system. “However, without independent oversight and strict safeguards, FRMS risks becoming a tool for operators to extend duty periods at the expense of safety.”
He also called for delaying the implementation until the final accident report of AI 171, which crashed in Ahmedabad, is released. “The relevant safety recommendations on fatigue made in the report needs to be incorporated in this,” he said.
“Despite the non-punitive intent, past instances reveal punitive action against pilots reporting fatigue including termination of employment. In at least one case, when a pilot appealed, DGCA did not recognize fatigue – undermining trust in both operators and regulators,” Rao added.
He further said that while FRMS is a well-intentioned step to align India with global fatigue management practices, its present form presents significant concerns. “While the positive elements – scientific foundation, International Civil Aviation Organisation alignment, structured oversight and emphasis on non-punitive culture – are acknowledged, the risks of misuse, regulatory overlap, operator manipulation, lack of independent pilot oversight, and unresolved safety lessons from recent accidents outweigh the immediate benefits.”
Captain CS Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots, which represents 5,000+ professional pilots and aviation professionals, told this newspaper that the DGCA must withdraw its "flawed proposal. '
"The circular is a blueprint for commercial exploitation and regulatory ambiguity and will lead to a degradation of safety margins," he said. The most critical failure is the exclusion of a nominated representative from any pilot body in the Flight Safety Action Group and the DGCA taskforce, Randhawa said.
"There is a significant safety loophole by the regulator in proposing a graded approval rollout after initially setting up a "pilot cohort" of two or three major airlines. This approach is fundamentally flawed as it marginalises smaller carriers," he added.