Air India pilot refuses to fly citing duty time limitations: Here is what he was referring to

The pilot of an Air India flight, en route from London to Delhi, declined to continue the journey, citing duty time limitations after the aircraft made an emergency landing in Jaipur instead of Delhi due to severe weather conditions.

Jaipur (Rajasthan): The pilot of an Air India flight travelling from London to Delhi refused to fly citing duty time limitations after it landed in Jaipur instead of Delhi due to adverse weather conditions forcing the passengers to reach Delhi by road.

The incident took place on Sunday, June 25, when AI Flight 112 was scheduled to reach Delhi at 4 am. The flight had to be diverted to Jaipur due to unfavourable weather conditions. After a delay of approximately two hours at Jaipur, the Delhi Air Traffic Control (ATC) gave clearance for the flight to resume its operations. The pilot refused to fly saying that as per the DGCA, his duty hours were over so he couldn't fly further.

However, Air India said it was misleading to say that the pilot had left the aircraft citing his duty time was over. “Fact of the matter is the London-Delhi AI112 flight was diverted to land at Jaipur at 4 am today due to inclement weather & poor visibility at Delhi. While the aircraft was waiting for Delhi weather to improve and take off, the cockpit crew came under FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations). Pilots cannot operate a flight once they come under the FDTL, as laid down by regulatory authorities,” an Air India spokesperson said.

As a result, over 350 passengers were left stranded at the airport, leading to frustration and disappointment. Several passengers took to Twitter, sharing videos and criticizing the airline for failing to provide assistance in reaching their final destination, Delhi.

After waiting for more than six hours, some passengers were eventually transported to Delhi via a Volvo bus, while others were arranged to travel by cabs. Additionally, a replacement crew was organized, allowing some passengers to continue their journey through the same Air India flight.

One of the passengers tweeted a series of videos, highlighting the situation and seeking urgent assistance from authorities. The passenger reached out to Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and mentioned that despite contacting Jaipur MP Col Rajyavardhan Rathore, no help was provided at Jaipur Airport. Air India responded to the tweet, stating that their team was working diligently to minimize the inconvenience caused.

What are the duty hours prescribed under FDTL?

The FDTL ensures keeping a tab on the mental health and fatigue levels of pilots and cockpit crew. According to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the maximum flight duty limits for any operating aircrew in a period is limited to prevent the stress caused by the lack of sleep and provide the crew with maximum rest, since it is found in recent studies that stress has a profound negative effect on the human performance, especially when they are exposed to unnatural environment such as flying.

The ICAO has set the maximum flight timings for an Aircrew to fly in a given period of time. They include 8 hours in every 24 hours, 30 hours in a week, 125 hours in a month, 270 hours in 90 days, and 1000 hours in a year.

These Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) are applicable for Commanders, flight time flown as a Co-Pilot is counted as 80% for this rule. The flight duty timings are relaxable for upto 4 hours of flying in special cases, and not more than 8 hours in any case.