DGCA relaxes safety rules for Air India amid West Asia crisis

NEw new delhi : The transmit power regulator has allowed Air republic of india a temporary relaxation behavior from meeting pilot duty norms owing to the West Asia crisis, allowing the carrier to operate some long-haul flights with two pilots despite longer flying times forced by the choked airspaces over the war-torn region.The move comes after Air India approached the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on March 12 and sought relief from the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), citing operational constraints triggered by airspace restrictions that have forced aircraft to take longer routes. The relaxation was allowed on March 13.Flights from India to North America, including services to Toronto, have had to take lengthy diversions due to the closure of Iraqi and Iranian airspaces. The situation has been worsened by the continued closure of Pakistani airspace for Indian-registered aircraft since last year.Under the existing FDTL rules, the maximum flying time permitted for a two-pilot crew is 10 hours, while the maximum Flight Duty Period (FDP) is capped at 13 hours. FDP is a pilot’s overall duty time, from reporting for a flight until post-flight duties are completed.Airline officials said the permission gives Air India space to allow itself to rework its rostering and mitigate disruptions caused by the restrictions.The Air India group on Saturday said it would operate 72 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from West Asia on Sunday. However, it said it had to curtail its ad-hoc flights following “instructions from UAE airport authorities,” the airline said on Sunday. “The unavailability of Iranian and Iraqi airspace has resulted in mandatory rerouting of certain long-haul flights through alternate corridors, increasing sector flight times,” one of the officials said.“This will allow adequate rest to crew operating in Europe, UK and North American flights,” the official added.As part of the temporary relaxation, the regulator has permitted an extension of the flight time by 1.5 hours, allowing a maximum flying time of 11.5 hours for two-pilot operations.The permissible Flight Duty Period has also been extended by an hour and 45 minutes, allowing a maximum FDP of 14 hours and 45 minutes for the affected flights, another official said.“The exemption will remain in effect until April 30 and will apply only to specific sectors, the circular said. Flight-specific details will be communicated through individual fleet-specific company NOTAMs, which will also serve as crew briefings,” he added. He said that the airline has also assured mitigation measures during the exemption period, including continuous monitoring with the regulator, mandatory crew briefings and an additional rest period of four hours for crew members over and above the minimum rest prescribed under applicable civil aviation requirements.Officials earlier said Air India had sought the relaxation due to increased block times on several long-haul routes as aircraft were forced to take longer diversionary routings following the closure of key West Asian air corridors.