India's aviation watchdog reviewing fatigue data after pilot death-source

Spicejet

25/08/2023 15:32

By Aditi Shah and Riddhima Talwani
       NEW DELHI, Aug 25 (Reuters) - India's air safety
watchdog has launched a review of pilot fatigue data to see if
any policy changes are needed after the sudden death of an
IndiGo  INGL.NS  pilot, a senior aviation ministry official told
Reuters.
    The rare review, which has not previously been reported,
comes after an IndiGo pilot collapsed and died before his flight
last week. That has sparked complaints from some Indian pilots
that they are being stretched to the brink by airlines, even
though they comply with duty time regulations.
    After the death, hundreds of airline pilots plan to form an
association to challenge flying duty regulations they say cause
fatigue and jeopardise safety, Reuters reported this week.    
    The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has now
decided to conduct a review of pilot fatigue data it has
collected during spot checks and surveillance of airlines to see
if regulations related to flight duty times or fatigue need to
be changed, said the official.
    The regulator could go a step further by approaching Indian
airlines to submit details of pilot complaints related to
fatigue.
    "The regulator will go to a granular level," said the
official, declining to be named in line with government rules.
    While pilot fatigue is a global problem, India is at the
heart of the matter as the world's fastest-growing aviation
market, with hundreds of new planes on order by IndiGo and Tata
group-owned Air India.
    IndiGo, India's biggest airline, has said the pilot who died
had a 27-hour break before duty and was in good health.
    In the United States, regulators allow pilots on two-pilot
flights to be on duty for a maximum of 14 hours during the day
and nine hours for late-night flights. India does not
differentiate between day and night flights and allows pilots to
be on duty for 13 hours within a 24-hour span.
    "Whatever systemic intervention is needed, the regulator
will make robust changes. It is an outcome oriented exercise and
the watchdog is open to take all steps," the official said,
adding India intended to be in line with other major regulators.
    Indian pilots must, however, report fatigue without fear of
backlash from airlines, he added.
    "The airlines need to show more maturity. Rostering needs to
have an element of cautious monitoring of fatigue," said the
person, adding that reporting it is a "shared responsibility".
    About a dozen Indian pilots with whom Reuters spoke in
recent weeks shared worries not just about work hours but flight
schedules they say are erratic and worsened sometimes by
consecutive late-night departures without sufficient rest