After years of delay, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has finally implemented revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FTDL) for pilots in India, aiming to reduce fatigue and improve flight safety.

Key Points of the New Guidelines

• Effective Date: Full implementation began November 1, 2025, with minor exemptions still in place.
• Reason for Delay: The rules were first proposed in 2023 but faced resistance from airlines and went through court deliberations, causing a two-year delay.
• Impact on Pilots:
  • Reduced stress and fatigue for pilots, especially narrow-body commanders who face multiple take-offs and landings daily.
  • Limits on early-morning flights (2 am – 6 am, known as “windows of circadian low”) to reduce risk of operating during low cognitive periods.
  • Mandatory reporting by airline operations on pilot fatigue every quarter to DGCA.

Why This Matters

• Pilot Health and Safety: Over the past few years, fatigue-related concerns intensified after several pilots died while on duty, though no direct evidence linked incidents solely to fatigue.
• Workload Concerns: Low-cost airline pilots, in particular, often handled multiple flights per day, increasing risk of fatigue.
• Public Safety: Pilots operate flights carrying hundreds of passengers, so their health directly affects air travel safety.

Industry Response

• The pilot community welcomes the rules but remains cautious due to DGCA exemptions for certain aircraft, such as long-haul B787 flights for Air India.
• Airlines may face additional staffing requirements (5–8% more commanders and first officers) to comply with duty limits.
• Operations heads must maintain detailed fatigue reports, adding administrative workload but improving accountability.

Bottom Line

While not perfect, the new FTDL norms are a much-needed step to ensure safer skies and restore some confidence in the DGCA’s regulatory role. For passengers and crew alike, the guidelines mark a long-awaited relief for India’s aviation sector.