With Rising Safety Concerns, India Mandates Fatigue-Management Training For Airline Crew

NEW DELHI- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on November 25 issued fresh directions to airlines, making annual fatigue-management training compulsory for pilots, cabin crew, and other staff involved in planning crew schedules. The move comes amid growing concern over rising duty hours and the impact of fatigue on flight safety.

The new rules will require each airline to provide at least one hour of specialized training every year as part of its regular ground training program. The module should cover rules regarding flight hours, duty limits, and mandatory rest, in addition to sleep science, disturbing factors for the body’s internal clock, and how exhaustion influences performance in the cockpit/cabin.

Airlines have also been asked to train crew in recognizing fatigue, managing lifestyle and rest effectively, and understanding the effects of long-haul operations, frequent short flights, and crossing multiple time zones.

The DGCA has directed airlines to establish a transparent fatigue-reporting mechanism and an independent Fatigue Review Committee to examine the reports and recommend corrective measures. A quarterly update must be sent to the regulator, highlighting the number of crew trained, the number of fatigue reports raised, how many were accepted/rejected, and for what reasons. When a crew member applies for fatigue leave, the rules require at least 24 hours of rest, with one local night.

Pilot associations have been warning that recent changes permitting more night landings and longer duty periods on some Boeing 787 routes could compromise safety. (IANS)