New Delhi: A day after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) took a complete U-turn on deferring the implementation of the revised flight duty norms for pilots that were to be effective from June 1, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) in a letter to Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia calls the move that "it not only endangers pilots' safety but also undermine the safety of passengers."
In a letter attached to the Union Minister Scindia on March 28, a day after the DGCA took a U-turn, it said that "without prior consultation with stakeholders, the DGCA proceeded to issue a revised version of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on March 26, 2024. The revision eliminates the mandatory requirement for operators to implement the revised CAR before June 1, 2024."
It further stated that "the latest version by the DGCA has made the revised CAR a dead letter of the law as it has effectively granted discretionary powers in implementing the revised CAR, a decision, as you duly recognise, does not serve the interests of the pilots and the aviation sector in India."
Further highlighting that the U-turn from the DGCA not only threatens the safety of the pilots but also that of air passengers, it added: "We would like to state that the latest revision by the DGCA i.e; omitting the cut-off date for implementing an amendment to the regulations pertaining consecutive night operations is arbitrary, as it has the effect of ensuring the revised CAR is stillborn."
"The action of the DGCA not only endangers pilots' safety, but also undermines the safety of passengers, which the implementation of the revised CAR could protect. Furthermore, the health and safety of the pilots cannot be prejudiced for the commercial benefit of the operators", it said.
Urging the DGCA to roll back its decision, the FIP said, "We earnestly hope that you would ensure that the DGCA follow in letter and spirit the pious intent of your message of January 8, 2024...". Notably, the amended Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) was uploaded late at night on March 26, the DGCA said that the airlines may continue the existing Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules without mentioning any timeline.
This move came after the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) consisting of IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet last month wrote to DGCA to postpone the June 1 deadline, highlighting that the implementation of new rules would require the airlines to hire “15 per cent to 25 per cent" more pilots for which they needed 8-10 months.
And also added that there would be more "cancellations" of the flight in the upcoming summer season if the DGCA would not postpone the deadline.
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