MUMBAI: IndiGo and Air India Group have sought a temporary exemption from pilot duty hour requirements from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after the West Asia conflict lengthened some international routes, pushing flight times beyond limits that normally require an additional pilot, according to a government official familiar with the matter.
Under India's Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules, if a single-sector flight exceeds 10 hours of flight time—the maximum permitted duration for a two-pilot crew—airlines are required to deploy an additional pilot. This typically means operating the flight with an augmented crew consisting of a captain and two first officers.
The aviation safety regulator is conducting a safety assessment and could possibly agree to grant such exemptions, according to the official quoted above. Mint could not independently ascertain whether the exemption will be granted. An email sent to DGCA went unanswered.
The longer routings have already pushed several flights beyond the 10-hour limit. For instance, an Air India flight from Delhi to London, which earlier remained within the threshold, now takes between 10 hours 45 minutes and 11 hours 5 minutes, requiring the airline to deploy an additional pilot.
Before the West Asia crisis and the closure of Pakistani airspace, flights to Western destinations typically took 8.5-9 hours.
The request for relief also comes at a time when India’s aviation sector is already struggling to hire enough pilots. New FDTL rules introduced last year require airlines to increase pilot numbers, including a restriction that allows pilots to operate flights landing between midnight and 6 a.m. only twice a week. Airlines had already deployed buffer pilots after the closure of Pakistani airspace.
As a result, airlines have been ramping up pilot hiring to comply with the new norms. However, flight durations stretching from around eight hours to more than ten hours on some sectors may further increase crew requirements.
Emails sent to IndiGo and Air India Group did not elicit a response till press time.
Crisis dispensations
Airlines seek dispensations from the DGCA during times of crisis, war, and other exigencies. In the past, airlines have requested similar dispensations during events like the closure of Pakistani airspace, the Iran-Iraq war, and disruptions in Gulf airspace.
Airlines also seek case-by-case dispensations from FDTL rules during disruptions caused by weather or security events, such as during the 9/11 attacks and major snowstorms in the US, said Sanjay Lazar, aviation expert and CEO of Avialaz Consultants.
“This dispensation (if sought) by the airlines would be based on a detailed risk assessment by the DGCA on a case by case basis. Though I personally believe additional pilots are necessary in view of the uncertainty of the air space disruption and incidents of flight return like we saw over Ethiopia and Cairo recently,” he said, adding that the inherent powers of the regulator permit them to issue dispensations if they deem it not to transgress safety norms.
The conflict in West Asia, which began on 28 February with coordinated US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has escalated as Iran launched missile and drone attacks on the US and allied military bases across the region, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. At the peak on 28 February, airspace from Israel to the UAE was temporarily closed.
The DGCA earlier said Indian airlines cancelled around 410 flights on 28 February and 440 on 1 March due to security concerns in parts of the West Asia airspace, impacting Gulf and long-haul routes beyond the region, including services to London's Heathrow and Canada. For now, airlines have resumed flights in limited frequency and are closely monitoring the situation.
The request for exemption also comes as longer routes, airspace restrictions and rising oil prices weigh on the profitability of Indian airlines.
“Fuel accounts for 35-40% of operating cost for airlines. An increase in crude oil prices will impact operating margins given the limited ability of airlines to pass on, especially on domestic routes. Further, any sharp depreciation in the rupee will also have a bearing on the profitability of Indian airlines as a significant portion of their lease liabilities is in foreign currency,” Crisil Rating said in a report dated 5 March.