NEW DELHI: India’s ongoing flight operations to West Asia amid a raging war in the region have not gone down well with leading pilot associations in the country. While the Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA) has demanded an immediate halt to all flight operations to the Gulf region until it is declared a ‘war-free zone’, it has also sought a rollback of the recent extension in flying hours for pilots operating long-haul routes, along with another leading pilot body.
Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA) president Captain Sam Thomas told TNIE, “How is the regulator permitting flight operations of any kind, either repatriation or commercial flights, inside a region where war is raging? The operations to the entire region need to be stopped immediately until it becomes war free.”
There has been no risk assessment of the operational routes, he charged. “Is there any insurance being offered for operations during wartime? The present operations are endangering the lives of pilots. The crew cannot refuse to operate when the airline puts them on duty for fear of professional repercussions. Drones and bombs are landing everywhere. Where is the safety for the crew or the passengers?” Capt Thomas asked.
He also pointed out that the extended duty hours for pilots were a dangerous move. “Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) has been fixed bearing the maximum the human body can take at a high altitude. Stretching it even more will cause fatigue to the pilots and pose a real danger to the pilots and the passengers. If Air India wants to run its operations via a longish route, it needs to have three pilots for every long distance flight,” he added.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation offered Air India an exemption from FDTL from March 13 till April 30. The actual flying time for a pilot was extended by 90 minutes, making the maximum permissible flight time 11 hours and 30 minutes, up from the earlier 10 hours. Additionally, the Flight Duty Period was extended by 105 minutes.
Federation of Indian Pilots president Captain C S Randhawa has written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, calling for a review of the recently granted FDTL variations. “Appropriate measures such as crew augmentation, effective fatigue monitoring and consultation with pilot representative bodies should be considered,” he said in his letter.
Effective fatigue management remains one of the fundamental pillars of aviation safety, he stressed.