The death of an AirIndigo pilot just before his flight last year prompted an investigation of crew rest rules by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The aviation watchdog fined Air India $95,000 for violating flight duty time limitations.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said Air India did not provide adequate weekly rest, or adequate rest before and after ultra-long flights and adequate rest on layover to flight crew. The DGCA noted other violations errors in training records, duty lapses, and flights where both pilots were over the age of 60.
After the sudden death of their colleague, Indian pilots united to file complaints about pilot fatigue, some claiming to be “stretched to the brink by airlines, even though they comply with duty time regulations.”
Following the audit, the DGCA has increased the minimum weekly rest for pilots from 36 to 48 hours.
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