Pilots slam India’s rollback of rest rule

India’s decision to ease stricter rules on pilot rest following a wave of flight cancellations by the country’s largest carrier should be reversed due to the adverse effect of fatigue on safety, the head of global pilot union group IFALPA said.

- ALLISON LAMPERT

IndiGo, which controls about 65% of India’s domestic aviation market, has said it failed to plan adequately for a Nov 1 deadline to implement stricter rules on night flying and weekly rest for pilots. The poor planning resulted in at least 2,000 flight cancellations this month, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded, upending vacation plans and weddings, and sparking growing fury about lost luggage.

India’s aviation regulator on Friday granted IndiGo a onetime exemption from new pilot night-duty rules and withdrew a rule that stopped airlines from counting pilot leave as weekly rest.