3 PILOT BODIES SEEK MORE REST AFTER LONG INT’L FLIGHTS

MUMBAI: Three pilot associations have written to the country’s aviation regulator, asking it to increase the duration for mandatory rest for crew while operating long-haul international flights. They cited difference in time zones for the demand.

The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), Indian Commercial Pilots Guild (ICPA) and National Aviation Guild (NAG) on Monday wrote to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), complaining that none of their submissions have been taken into consideration while drafting civil aviation regulations (CAR). The draft flight duty time limit (FDTL) that was made public on the DGCA’S website on November 16 has invited public comments till December 11.

A member of IPG said, “Our bodies take time to adapt to the new time zone after a long-haul flight. Currently, the rest period is two nights but we require at least four nights rest. The mandatory rest before operating a long haul flight has been reduced to 24 hours from 48 hours. The draft CAR doesn’t address this issue.”

The letter has termed changes in domestic and international FDTL ‘dangerous’ in the draft because mandatory rest for pilots after flying has been clubbed with their weekly off, reducing the rest period. The 2011 CAR on FDTL, which is in force, has not combined a pilot’s weekly off and post-flight mandatory rest.

A senior crew said, “DGCA has uploaded the airlinesfavoured draft CAR more than once this month. It looks like they are not serious about the issue.”

In addition to allowing pilots to fly for two consecutive nights, draft CAR has stated that apart from their flight duty time, the crew will have to be on stand-by for additional 10 hours.

Terming the new draft rules regressive, the pilot associations have said that instead of enhancing safety in the proposed FDTL regulations, DGCA appears a facilitator of exploitative practices. They claimed that the aviation regulator has ignored their feedback on the draft CAR.