Centre: revised pilot duty rules aligned with global norms

NEw DelhiThe Centre on th informed the Lok Sabha that it has localise in place elaborate monitoring and critique mechanisms to assess the impact of the revised pilot duty-time rules on airline operations, even as it stepped up regulatory oversight, data-driven safety management and capacity-building measures across the civil aviation sector.The response came on a question by Congress MP V. Vaithilingam, seeking information on India’s revised pilot-duty rules.“The revised flight duty rules were formulated after studying and comparing Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms of FAA [US], EASA [EU], Transport Canada and other nations,” ministry of civil aviation said in a written response, adding that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had also taken into account the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Standard and Recommended Practices as well as other global best practices while framing the norms.Under this system, all scheduled operators are required to submit detailed operational data to the DGCA each week. The regulator is also conducting periodic FDTL reviews and fatigue risk management across all scheduled operators.HT reported on Tuesday that four of the country’s five national airlines, which together fly 95% of passengers, are nudging the government to relax the new crew rest rules that came into force on November 1 last year, citing multiple officials, who said the companies contend the regulation is unsustainable in the long run.On strengthening aviation safety more broadly, the centre said that the DGCA has established structured procedures to collaborate with industry across the civil aviation ecosystem.All new or amended civil aviation requirements are published after inviting suggestions and comments from stakeholders, allowing regulations to be evaluated against internationally harmonised standards and best practices, the ministry said.To promote risk-based safety management and continuous learning, the DGCA has established a Safety Data Collection and Processing System (SDCPS). This system is used to identify National High-Risk Categories, define Safety Performance Indicators and set national safety targets in alignment with the ICAO Global Aviation Safety Plan.During Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, CPI(M) MP John Brittas accused the government of failing to protect air passengers amid growing market concentration, alleging “blatant exploitation of the air passengers” under a ‘duopoly’ in the aviation sector.He said regulatory provisions empowering the DGCA to act against predatory pricing were ignored for years, adding that government was “in a denial mode”, and also flagged concerns over passenger safety and delays in accident investigation reports, while referencing incidents such as the Ahmedabad plane crash and Wednesday’s Baramati plane crash that claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.