Air India has been granted a temporary relaxation in its flight duty time limitations (FDTL) by the aviation regulator, allowing longer pilot duty and flying hours on select international routes as airlines continue to face operational disruptions due to airspace closures in parts of the Middle East.
The restrictions over the airspace due to the US-Israeli war on Iran have forced airlines to take longer alternate routes, increasing flight durations in several long-haul sectors.
Photo Credit: REUTERS
According to an internal circular issued by the airline's flight operations department, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed an extension in duty limits for certain long-haul flights operated with two pilots to help manage the additional flying time caused by rerouting.
Under the temporary relaxation, the maximum flight time that pilots can operate has been increased by one hour and 30 minutes, allowing flights of up to 11 hours and 30 minutes.
The flight duty period, which includes the total duty time from reporting for duty until the aircraft shuts down after landing, has been extended by one hour and 45 minutes, raising the upper limit to 14 hours and 45 minutes.
The airline said the move is intended to help manage disruptions caused by longer flight paths and extended sector lengths resulting from the regional airspace restrictions.
To ensure safety during the exemption period, the airline has outlined several operational safeguards. These include close monitoring in coordination with the regulator, dedicated pre-flight briefings for crew operating under the relaxed limits, and additional rest provisions beyond the standard requirements.
Crew members assigned to such flights will also receive four extra hours of rest.
The airline has additionally been given a temporary exemption from the mandatory 30-minute roster planning buffer that is normally required under India's crew scheduling regulations.
According to the circular, the relaxations will apply only to specific flights impacted by the Middle East airspace situation. Operational details for each affected flight will be shared with crew through fleet-specific company NOTAMs, which will also function as briefing documents.
The exemptions came into effect on March 13 and are scheduled to remain in force until April 30.
Airlines across the world have been modifying routes after the closure of parts of the Middle East airspace disrupted key global aviation corridors.
Flights connecting India with Europe and North America have been among the most affected, with carriers operating longer detours through alternative airspace.
The extended routes have increased flying times and operating costs for airlines, forcing them to revise schedules while continuing to comply with safety and crew duty regulations.
Pilots' Body Flags Safety Concerns
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has written to the regulator expressing strong concern over the temporary extension of duty limits for two-pilot operations, warning that such relaxations could increase fatigue risks and impact flight safety.
In a letter, the federation cautioned that "any relaxation of fatigue management limits must be approached with caution, particularly for two-pilot operations without crew augmentation as it is detrimental to flight safety".
The federation said extending the Flight Duty Period and flight time for minimum crew complement operations "increases the exposure to fatigue-related performance degradation", citing international research that indicates pilot alertness and cognitive performance decline significantly when duty periods approach or exceed 13 hours.
It further warned that fatigue risks increase when duties overlap with the "Window of Circadian Low", noting that during such periods pilots may still be required to handle complex tasks such as weather deviations, fuel planning due to rerouting and precision approaches into congested airspace.
The pilots' body also flagged that the exemption appears to place no clear restriction on the number of sectors or landings within the extended duty period.
"This may lead to scenarios where pilots perform two landings toward the end of an already prolonged duty period," the letter said, adding that landing represents "one of the highest workload phases of flight" and fatigue during this stage could increase operational risk.
The federation also raised concerns about aircraft design limitations on the Boeing 787, citing an airworthiness directive issued by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2024. According to the letter, seat movement restrictions meant to ensure clearance for a decompression panel limit the captain's ability to recline or move the seat aft.
"As a result, the captain's seat recline and aft movement are restricted during flight," the federation said, adding that such limitations "reduce the ability of pilots to obtain a meaningful rest posture during long cruise segments".
The pilots' association also pointed to increased block times on rerouted sectors, citing the Delhi-Amsterdam route where pilots are reportedly logging around 11 hours and 44 minutes of flight time.
The federation urged the regulator to review the exemption and consider mitigation measures such as crew augmentation, fatigue monitoring and consultations with pilot representative bodies.
