New Delhi, Oct 31 Air India has been granted a temporary extension of flight duty time for two-pilot Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes flying on European routes, which have become longer due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Friday.
The civil aviation regulator said the extension was based on specific operational reasons linked to planes on European routes having to undertake longer flight paths following the shutdown of Pakistan’s airspace.
Besides, expected changes in wind patterns during the winter season could also lead to an increase in the flight time to these destinations.
For two-pilot Boeing 787 operations, the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) has been extended to 10 hours and 30 minutes from 10 hours, and the Flight Duty Period (FDP) increased to 14 hours from 13 hours.
The DGCA clarified that the extension of up to 30 minutes in flight time and up to one hour in FDP will apply only in cases where duty periods extend after departure and not during flight planning.
The FDP refers to the duration from when a flight crew member reports for duty until the aircraft comes to rest after completing the flight.
The clarification was given in response to the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) urging the DGCA to withdraw the relaxation, because the move could lead to “fatigue-induced errors”.
The civil aviation regulator emphasised that the exemption is a one-time approval, limited only to nine Dreamliner flights on European routes, and was issued after due consideration and in compliance with safety oversight requirements for the winter schedule.
Last week, ALPA India said in a statement that the present deviation gives the impression that the DGCA is placing greater consideration on operator convenience and commercial interests rather than prioritising the core objective of flight safety
DGCA further stated that as part of fatigue mitigation measures, operators must submit monthly fatigue reports, no training flights will be conducted under the exemption, and pilots operating these flights will be given one additional hour of rest.
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