New Delhi, March 12 Air India has approached the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) seeking temporary relaxation in Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms as escalating tensions in the Middle East force airlines to take longer diversionary routes, a report said on Thursday.
The Tata Group-owned airline has requested permission to operate certain long-haul flights with a two-pilot crew instead of the standard three, along with an extension in maximum flying time, according to NDTV Profit.
According to sources cited by the NDTV Profit, the airline firm has sought a one-hour and three-minute increase in permissible flying time, which would raise the limit from 10 hours to about 11–11.5 hours.
It has also requested that the maximum Flight Duty Period (FDP) be extended by 1 hour and 45 minutes, increasing the cap from 13 hours to 14 hours and 45 minutes.
Restricted airspace in parts of the region -- along with continued closure of Pakistan airspace for Indian carriers -- has forced airlines to take longer detours over the Arabian Sea, Central Asia, and parts of Africa.
These diversions are significantly increasing flight times, raising fuel consumption and putting additional pressure on crew duty limits, the report said.
The DGCA has recently advised Indian airlines to avoid the airspace of 11 Middle Eastern countries, categorising them as high-risk zones, it added.
For Air India, avoiding the skies of Iran and Iraq has added substantial block time to several long-haul routes, with the airline cancelling multiple flights this week due to operational constraints.
The report also said that government sources said Air India’s proposal is currently under examination by the regulator.
Officials added that while the wider aviation industry is facing similar routing disruptions, the DGCA has not yet received a comparable request from rival carrier IndiGo.
According to the report, Air India did not immediately respond to queries regarding the request and potential concerns related to crew fatigue.
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