The government is planning to relax stringent flying duty time limitations (FDTL) to help airlines mitigate the impact of acute pilot shortage. The move will enable pilots fly longer hours and help airlines deploy manpower more economically.Under pressure from airline companies facing losses of up to $2 billion this year, the Civil Aviation Ministry has constituted a committee to review FDTL norms and bring them in line with global standards. “India has daily, weekly and monthly limits on the maximum hours a pilot can fly. The US specifies only a monthly limit, giving airlines great flexibility to deploy pilots,” a senior civil aviation ministry official said.The committee, formed a fortnight ago, comprises joint secretary Arun Mishra, director-general of civil aviation (DGCA) Kanu Gohain and ex-DGCA Satinder Singh. It will consider doing away with daily and weekly flying limits and submit its report by June-end.“Due to daily and weekly limits, Indian carriers need more pilots to do the same job compared with international airlines,” the official said. Estimates suggest airlines have had to recruit 20 per cent more pilots due to the present FDTL norms, adding Rs 300 crore to the industry’s costs. Already, of the total 3,000 pilots, over 600 are foreign. By 2020, Indian carriers are estimated to require 10,000 pilots.Under existing norms notified August 2007, a pilot can fly a maximum of eight hours a day. His mandatory rest time was increased to 10 hours from 8 hours earlier. He was also to be given two hours for transportation between the airport and hotel/ home everyday.Currently, non-flying hours (time on duty but not spent flying) are included within an overall annual duty cap of 1,600 hours per pilot. Of this, flying hours are capped at 1,000 a year. This means that the time lost due to delays, airport congestion or diversions is also included in the overall duty cap- a norm that did not exist earlier.“The existing norms are archaic. In fact, the entire regulatory framework comprising rules are part of a 1934 Act, which needs urgent revision,” said Center for Asia Pacific Aviation chief executive officer (Indian subcontinent and Middle East) Kapil Kaul. “By removing daily and weekly caps on flying time for pilots, airlines can increase crew productivity by at least 20-25 per cent.”
