To beat pilot fatigue, DGCA raises weekly rest from 36 to 48 hrs

IT COMES AT A TIME WHEN THE INDUSTRY IS GRAPPLING WITH SHORTAGE OF STAFF, LEADING TO PILOTS BEING OVERWORKED

Pilots will need to be given a break for 48 hours at the end of a work week, up from 36 hours at present, India's aviation regulator said on Monday, expanding the mandatory rest period as part of several measures aimed at addressing growing concern of fatigue among flight crew.

The measures come at a time when the industry, in India, is grappling with a shortage of human resources, which has, according to pilot unions, led to them being overworked.

Among the new steps is also expanding the definition of night duty by an hour (now till 6 am from midnight), and capping the maximum flight duty hours to 10 hours from the existing 13 for pilots working in night operations.

"These changes that are very much in line with international best practices - will ensure India has the necessary arsenal, as it prepares to clinch the largest domestic aviation market title in the future," civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in a post on X.