Airlines seek easing of safety rules, citing unsustainability

Four of the country’s five national airlines, which together fly 95% of passengers, are nudging the government to relax the new crew rest rules that came into force on November 1 last year, multiple officials told HT, who said the companies contend the regulation is unsustainable in the long run.

- Neha LM Tripathi

The FDTL rules pertain to how long and what hours aviators can work for airliners in the interest of passenger safety.

The rules pertain to what is knownas flight duty time limitations (FDTL), which were toughened after an arduous litigation led by pilots who called for stricter limits on how long and what hours aviators can work for airliners in the interest of passenger safety.

“Airlines have approached the ministry to ask for certain relaxations in the newly mandated FDTL. Discussions are going on,” said an official requesting anonymity, and added that the matter was discussed during a parliamentary standing committee meeting on December 17.

That meeting came days after one of the worst aviation crises in India when operations of IndiGo, which has over 63% market share, collapsed between December 3 and 5. A government inquiry released earlier this month found the airline “failed to adequately identify planning deficiencies” and maintained “minimal recovery margins” despite having two years to prepare for the regulations.