This is the second adjustment the DGCA has made to its FDTL norms in less than 24 hours; last night the cap on the number of consecutive hours a pilot can fly was extended from 12 to 14.
New Delhi:
India’s aviation regulator on Friday withdrew, with immediate effect, one part of the Flight Duty Time Limitations rules, the first phase of which kicked in July 1 – which said ‘no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest’ – to resolve the operational crisis that has affected IndiGo, the country’s largest airline.
In a statement issued this afternoon, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation said, “… in view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representatives from various airlines regarding need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, it has been considered necessary to review the said provision”.
The DGCA also offered an exemption – till February 10 – for night-time flights.
Today’s revisions to the FDTL norms mean airlines do not have to differentiate between leave and weekly rest when rostering pilots and flight crew. Therefore, a pilot granted earned leave for 48 hours, for example, will now be considered as having also had a ‘weekly’ rest, as mandated by the new rules.
This is the second adjustment the DGCA has made to its FDTL norms in less than 24 hours; last night the cap on the number of consecutive hours a pilot can fly was extended from 12 to 14.
IndiGo’s flight ops – the largest in India with over 2,200 daily domestic and international services – have been decimated over the past four days because of a shortage of pilots and flight crew.
IndiGo admitted Wednesday it had misjudged the number of pilots needed under new FDTL rules, which also mandate increased rest periods – from 36 to 48 hours in a seven-day period.
As many as 550 flights were cancelled on Thursday alone – the most ever by IndiGo, an airline that prides itself on its punctuality, in a single day – across multiple airports, including Delhi.
The first phase of these regulations kicked in on July 1 and the second on November 1.
The cumulative effect meant, quite simply, IndiGo did not have the pilots to operate hundreds of flights; those listed as ‘on duty’ in earlier rosters were not allowed to fly.
Overall, nearly 1,300 flights have been cancelled so far, and there is no sign things will improve in the short term; IndiGo has already warned of more disruptions till December 8 at least.
The scale of IndiGo’s misjudgement was underlined this morning after Delhi airport cancelled all outbound flights operated by the airline till midnight. However, almost simultaneously, DGCA sources told NDTV that flights had only been cancelled till 3 pm, further emphasising the chaos all around.
Domestic IndiGo flights from Chennai to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Hyderabad have also been cancelled – till 6 pm – due to “operational reasons”, the airport said.
The crisis has also meant IndiGo’s share prices have nosedived; Interglobe Aviation Ltd, the airline’s holding company, fell Rs 5,883 this morning, when markets opened, to Rs 5,415 at 2 pm.
Meanwhile, the DGCA also wrote to pilots bodies to ask for cooperation in “maintaining stable and smooth flight operations” in light of delays and increased pressure on airline ops due to various factors, including IndiGo (and) the fog season, peak holiday period, and marriage travel season.
