NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator the DGCA has permitted Air India to extend the duty period for its pilots flying to Europe and the United States by an hour and 45 minutes due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Air India sources said. A source at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also confirmed the development.
The maximum duty hours of a pilot have now been extended to 14 hours and 45 minutes from the previous Flight Duty Period (FDP) of 13 hours. The FDP refers to all the formalities a pilot must complete before starting the flight and after concluding it.
Under this exemption, the extension in actual flying time would work out to 90 minutes, taking the maximum permissible flight time for a pilot to 11 hours and 30 minutes, up from the maximum 10-hour flying time earlier permitted. "The temporary exemption in Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) has been permitted with immediate effect and will be in effect till April 30," said an Air India source.
"We will not compromise on the rest period for the pilots. It will be four hours more than the Civil Aviation Requirement norms prescribed during such exemption. However, this will take place after the extended duty hours are completed by the cockpit crew," another source stressed.
TNIE broke the story a couple of days ago on Air India approaching the regulator with a request to relax the FDTL norms in light of the longer routes its planes were forced to take to European countries and the US via southern Saudi Arabia and Egypt following the airspace closure of Pakistan earlier and Iran now.
The report had also highlighted how Air India operated its London flight with three pilots instead of two and may need to follow suit for other long-haul flights due to the circuitous routes being taken.
Air India has additionally cited the closure of Iraqi airspace in its request to the DGCA, it is learnt.
The airline has also been given exemption from the 30-minute buffer period that was mandatory when preparing the duty roster.
A source from the regulator said the extension was granted as it was a genuine request in light of multiple airspace closures currently in effect across West Asia. Asked why only Air India was given the exemption, the response was that only this airline had recently requested it.