ALPA India Demands Full Implementation of Flight Duty Norms to Enhance Safety Standards

Pilots body ALPA India has raised concerns about the partial implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crews. They claim that domestic airlines exploit loopholes due to unwarranted dispensations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). ALPA India has urged the DGCA to stop airlines from altering or reinterpreting the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) for commercial gain.

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ALPA India, along with other pilot associations like the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) and Air India's pilots associations IPG and ICPA, argue that the current Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms favour commercial interests over safety. The new norms, which include increased weekly rest periods and reduced night landings, faced initial opposition from airlines like IndiGo and Air India. However, they were eventually implemented by the DGCA after a delay, following a directive from the Delhi High Court.

Concerns Over Safety and Compliance

The FDTL CAR aims to enhance flight safety through adequate rest and scientifically justified duty limitations. However, ALPA India claims that some operators selectively interpret these provisions to maximise commercial use at the expense of safety. This practice compromises both crew welfare and passenger safety, according to ALPA India's letter to the DGCA.

ALPA India highlights that any dispensations should be granted only under exceptional circumstances, supported by a detailed safety risk assessment and validated Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) inputs. They allege that some operators have created internal manuals like Rostering Policy and Practice (RPP), which reinterpret FDTL rules to alter crew schedules without adhering to CAR guidelines.

Issues with Rosters and Rest Periods

The pilots body also points out that operators frequently change duties with just 12 hours' notice, despite CAR requiring rosters to be published in advance. This practice effectively places pilots on perpetual standby. ALPA India insists that any changes to a published roster should require explicit crew consent.

Operators are reportedly calculating 48 hours of weekly rest from FDP completion instead of providing two clear calendar days as intended. This undermines fatigue-protection principles. Additionally, some operators misapply night-landing limitations by treating deadheading sectors as non-operating segments, reducing recorded landings and compromising safety.

Standardisation and Fairness

ALPA India also alleges that some operators provide a 10-hour buffer only after privileged annual leave, excluding other leave types. They recommend this buffer apply uniformly across all leave forms. The letter calls for standardisation of rest, roster, and home-base interpretations to ensure industry-wide safety and fairness.

The pilots body seeks DGCA's intervention to issue clarifications or directives preventing further misuse of CAR wordings. They stress the need for consistent application of rules across all operators to maintain safety standards.

With inputs from PTI