NEW DELHI: Following the death of two pilots on consecutive days this week, a leading pilot association has urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Civil Aviation Ministry to fully implement court-mandated weekly rest norms for pilots.
A 44-year-old Akasa Air pilot, Captain Arjun Naidu, died in Bengaluru on April 30 after suffering a heart attack during a ground training session, while an Air India pilot, Captain Tarundeep Singh, in his early forties, died of a heart attack in Bali on April 29 during a scheduled crew rest period.
The Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA India) also demanded that airlines should not penalise pilots for seeking exemption from flying due to exhaustion.
In a communication, ALPA India president Captain Sam Thomas said, “These issues arise in the context of the Court mandated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) framework and the continued deferment of its full implementation, as also highlighted in prior representations. At the outset, it is submitted that the continued grant of variations to operators has materially diluted the intent of the FDTL regulations.”
“These variations, originally conceived as transitional measures, have effectively become the norm. This defeats the purpose of fatigue management framework and perpetuates scheduling practices that operate at or near regulatory limits without adequate safety buffers,” it added.
“The absence or dilution of meaningful weekly rest has a cumulative impact on fatigue, circadian disruption, and long-term health outcomes. This is not merely a welfare issue but a core safety parameter. The continued unabated untimely death of pilots, both aged less than 45 years recently speaks volumes," Captain Thomas said.
ALPA India has appealed to the DGCA to initiate a time-bound programme to withdraw such variations and ensure full implementation of FDTL norms. “A clearly articulated roadmap, with defined end of variations, would provide both regulatory certainty and operational clarity,” he added.
The association also called for reinstating provisions that prevent substitution of weekly rest with leave and raised concerns over fatigue reporting.
