NEW DELHI: Aviation authorities have begun the process of determining the number of flights – domestic and international – that will operate this summer. The DGCA will consider the availability of pilots while approving summer schedules, effective March 29, to avoid a crisis like the one IndiGo witnessed two months ago.However, determining pilot availability has proven to be a tightrope walk, with all major Indian airlines having obtained regulatory exemption from certain provisions of the flight time limit (FDTL) rules for cockpit crew. These exemptions expire at the end of next month. The airlines have sought an extension and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is reviewing their requests.
The ability of airlines to operate any given number of flights will depend on this decision.
Withdrawing FDTL exemptions will mean fewer flights in the peak summer travel season, higher prices and public outcry – something the government will be keen to avoid. Extending it will raise concerns about overworked crew stretching, which affects flight safety.For example, Air India has taken longer routes on its flights to and from the West for geopolitical reasons. According to the rules, they need three pilots for flights longer than 10 hours.
Since all flights between northern India (Delhi is AI’s main hub) and the west were affected due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, they were exempted from having pilots on flights lasting up to 10.5 hours. “Due to the IR crisis, IndiGo and Akasa are mostly getting night slots in busy hubs in India.
“They have sought an exemption from night use for pilots, otherwise the number of flights will not grow to handle the high traffic but will decline,” said one of the people familiar with the matter. The pilots said the current situation arose primarily due to the fact that airlines had always had their way with the DGCA to obtain exemptions. “Airlines have slowed down hiring of pilots and career advancement for pilots to keep their pay bill under control… Burnout and inhuman rosters have become a reality until everyone has had to wake up,” said one senior captain. IndiGo and AI recently resumed recruitment at the Cadet First Officer level after nearly 1.5 years.
