Pilots' Body Urges Withdrawal Of Extended Boeing 787 Flight Duty Hours

India's aviation regulator has allowed an extension of flight duty hours for select Boeing 787 Dreamliner routes, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the country's pilots' association, citing serious safety and fatigue concerns.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Sunday permitted an increase in the Flight Duty Period (FDP) for two-pilot Boeing 787 operations by one hour from 13 to 14 hours and extended the maximum Flight Time from 10 to 10.5 hours. 

The FDP is the total duration a flight crew member remains on duty for operating an aircraft. It begins when the crew reports for duty and concludes once the aircraft has completed its final flight, comes to a halt, and the engines have been switched off.

The FDP extension applies to eight international routes, including Delhi-Copenhagen, Delhi-Milan, Delhi-France (two flights), Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, London Gatwick-Amritsar, Delhi-Zurich, and Birmingham-Amritsar.

The regulator said the move was necessary to "prevent passenger inconvenience, flight disruptions and downstream roster irregularities" following the closure of Pakistani airspace that has forced airlines to reroute several long-haul flights. The order also directs that crew members be given an additional hour of rest during layovers and prohibits flight training operations on these sectors.

Air India is currently the only Indian carrier operating Boeing 787 aircraft, the same model involved in the June 12 Ahmedabad crash that killed several passengers.

However, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA-India) has strongly objected to the DGCA's decision, terming it "a matter of grave operational and safety concern". In a letter to the regulator, the pilots' body said extending duty hours "creates a scenario ripe for fatigue-induced errors" and runs counter to established global safety practices.

"The existing 10-hour limit is already on the upper threshold of safe fatigue management," the association said, adding that "there is no shortage of pilots in India to justify such an extension."

The pilots also cited a recent US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive, which restricts the captain's seat recline function on Boeing 787 aircraft due to safety concerns. This, they said, has significantly reduced the effectiveness of in-flight rest during long sectors. "This restriction has had a direct and severe impact on crew rest quality," the letter noted.

According to ALPA-India, airlines worldwide have responded to the FAA's directive by deploying additional operating crew to mitigate fatigue risk. "In sharp contrast, it is deeply concerning that the DGCA has chosen to extend the Flight Duty Time Limit for two-man crew operations instead of mandating augmented crew," the association said.

The pilot body also questioned the regulator's decision-making priorities, alleging that "the DGCA appears to have placed the convenience of flight operators above flight safety." It reminded that India's Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on Flight Duty Time Limitations was designed to safeguard pilots and passengers alike, based on extensive research aligned with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines on human fatigue management.