Airlines seek pilot duty time relief as longer routes bite

IndiGo and Air India Group said to have sought the relief following the West Asia conflict

- Dipali Banka [e-mail] MUMBAI

IndiGo and Air India Group approached the regulator after flight durations on several westbound routes increased.

IndiGo and Air India Group have sought a temporary exemption from pilot duty hour requirements from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after the West Asia conflict lengthened some international routes, pushing flight times beyond limits that normally require an additional pilot, according to a government official familiar with the matter.

Under India's Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules, if a single-sector flight exceeds 10 hours of flight time—the maximum permitted duration for a two-pilot crew—airlines are required to deploy an additional pilot. This typically means operating the flight with an augmented crew consisting of a captain and two first officers.