Air India pilots body urges DGCA to defer circular on FRMS, hold wider consultations

New Delhi: An Air India pilots' body, Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), on Tuesday urged the DGCA to defer the operational circular on Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) and hold wider consultations with pilot bodies for the proposed amendment.

PSU Watch is now on Whatsapp Channels. Click here to join

The Association also said that while it appreciates the regulator's initiative to align India's fatigue management framework with ICAO, the country's distinct operational realities, cultural practices, and ongoing judicial directions on FDTL require extreme caution before transitioning from a prescriptive FDTL regime to a performance-based FRMS framework.

The DGCA, in a September 4 circular, provided detailed guidance on FRMS approval processes, implementation requirements, and oversight mechanisms to enhance flight safety through scientific, data-driven fatigue management approaches that complement existing prescriptive FDTL regulations.

It had sought comments from all stakeholders till September 15.

Amid concerns in various quarters about fatigue among airline crew, the regulator DGCA has already put in place revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots, which are being implemented in a phased manner.

The new FDTL norms entail increased weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extension of night hours, and limiting the number of night landings to only two, as against six earlier.

The issue of fatigue among pilots has resurfaced following the death of two Air India Express pilots this year, and two pilots of IndiGo and Air India collapsing in the cockpit prior to the departure of their flights recently.

Prior to the ICAP feedback, two other pilot bodies, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) and Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA India), have also submitted their feedback to the DGCA and they have taken almost a similar position on the issue, urging the regulator to withdraw the proposed guidelines.

"The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) appreciates DGCA's initiative to align India's fatigue management framework with ICAO Annex 6 and Doc 9966. However, India's distinct operational realities, cultural practices, and ongoing judicial directions on FDTL require extreme caution before transitioning from a prescriptive FDTL regime to a performance-based FRMS framework," ICPA said.

Furthermore, it said, any amendment must be routed through a formal CAR revision process with wide consultation, rather than an operational circular, to ensure legal robustness, it said.

The Association has also sought at least 50 per cent representation of the pilots in the Fatigue Safety Action Group (FSAG) for airlines, which is one of the several measures proposed by the DGCA in its draft Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) guidelines.

As per the draft norms, FSAG will be managed by members with technical expertise, with one representative each from the flight operations department (management and Line Pilot), crew scheduling, training, HR, network planning, safety, and an available aerospace medicine specialist.

The Association also said that though a performance-based FRMS offers flexibility but there is also a high risk of misuse if implemented without safeguards.

"ICPA urges DGCA to defer the FRMS OC and only proceed through a CAR amendment after full consultation with pilot bodies. Only with independent oversight, shared data, progressive rest protections, and clear enforcement can FRMS succeed in India's operational environment," it stated.

(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)