DGCA implements watch duty time limitation norms for air traffic controllers at 57 airports

DGCA said the regulations will be implemented at other airports in a phased manner as per the roadmap indicated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

New Delhi:In a "significant" move, aviation watchdog DGCA on Thursday said regulations for watch duty time limitations and rest requirements for air traffic controllers have been implemented at 57 airports, including Amritsar, Coimbatore, Patna and Imphal. The implementation of the norms will ensure that air traffic controllers will get adequate rest while carrying out their duties and reduce fatigue among them.

The regulations regarding 'Watch Duty Time Limitation (WDTL) and rest requirements for Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs)' are being implemented at the 57 airports from Thursday, DGCA said in a release. An operational duty time for an ATCO should not exceed 2 hours, without a break of at least 30 minutes. The break can be taken during the duty period or at the end of that period, as per the regulations.

"The breaks for operational duty on circumstances beyond two hours... shall be taken on pro-rata basis (eg. 45 minutes after 3 hours or 60 minutes after 4 hours)," the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR). According to the regulations, breaks shall include all measures necessary to ensure that ATCOs will not be suffering fatigue. "A total relief from exercising the privileges of ATCO's license, including coordination with other ATS (Air Traffic Service) units, supervisory roles shall be considered as a break," it added.

The CAR also specifies a limit on duty period and the interval between duty period and night duty. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the norms are modelled on ICAO regulations and based on the country's national, social and cultural contexts, coupled with scientifically valid, optimal duty time limit for ATCOs. ICAO is the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

"This is a significant reform in the civil aviation sector and will provide adequate rest to ATCO's while engaging in provision of the air traffic services. The maximum permissible duty period and minimum mandatory rest period for ATCOs has been given a shape in the form of regulations," the release said.

DGCA said the regulations will be implemented at other airports in a phased manner as per the roadmap indicated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Air Traffic Controllers' Guild (I) welcomed the implementation of the CAR at the 57 airports, saying it was long awaited to help reduce fatigue among ATCOs.

"We expect that at remaining airports also, it will be soon implemented in a phased manner with the availability of trained manpower," it said in a statement. According to the guild, the major roadblocks in implementation are the shortage of ATCOs and the non-availability of surveillance controllers.

Currently, the norms are being implemented at 9 airports in the northern region, 15 in the southern region, 12 in the western region, 11 in the eastern region and 10 in the northeast region. Apart from Amritsar, Coimbatore, Patna and Imphal, other airports include Dehradun, Shimla, Kanpur, Trichy, Calicut, Kannur, Tirupati, Indore, Surat, Udaipur, Bhubaneshwar, Gaya, Dimapur and Agartala. (PTI)