By Yaruqhullah Khan
A fresh dispute is brewing between domestic airlines and pilot unions over the implementation of the revised flight duty time limitations (FDTL) norms, with pilots accusing carriers of misusing rest duty rules to maximise rosters, even as airlines maintain that they are fully in compliance with the regulatory norms. The dispute, which centres on interpretations of the civil aviation requirement (CAR) governing pilots’ fatigue management, has now reached the Delhi High Court.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) and the Airlines Pilots Association–India (ALPA) have written to the ministry of civil aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), alleging that operators are reworking or selectively applying the FDTL provisions for commercial convenience. Airlines have denied any irregularities, saying they constantly coordinate with the DGCA to ensure proper implementation and passenger safety.
Weekly rest, standby, and night duty loopholes
At the centre of the conflict is the mandatory weekly rest clause that requires airlines to provide 48 hours of rest after 168 hours of duty time. Pilots claim airlines are treating this timeline as seven consecutive days of work followed by two rest days, while the original intent, which is consistent with global practice, assumes five working days followed by two off days. They allege this interpretation allows carriers to run continuous schedules and strain rosters while staying formally within regulatory limits.
Pilots further argue that the weekly rest is weakened because airlines place them on active standby rosters immediately afterward, counting those standby days as off days even though pilots must remain ready to fly at short notice. Senior commanders told Fe that this effectively delays the next weekly rest cycle and continues to keep pilots under operational pressure.
The unions have also objected to the treatment of night duties. Although the revised norms define night duty as any duty between midnight and 0600 hours, triggering enhanced rest, pilots allege that airlines determine eligibility only by landing time. A pilot said that shutting down engines at 23:59 exempts the flight from night-duty classification, even if cockpit duties continue beyond midnight for documentation and shutdown procedures.
ALPA has raised another concern around night-landing limits within a flight duty period. According to the union, airlines classify deadheading segments – where pilots travel as passengers for repositioning – as non-operating sectors for the purpose of calculating total night landings. This, ALPA says, artificially reduces the recorded number of landings and bypasses the safety objectives built into the regulation.
Additional grievances
Further friction has emerged over the definition of home base. Pilot bodies say airlines are interpreting home base literally as a pilot’s city of residence rather than the operational base intended under the CAR for international wide-body flying, creating disparities in recovery rest schedules among pilots running similar long-haul patterns.
On leave management, ALPA alleges that only annual leave is considered eligible for the 10-hour buffer provision while emergency, casual and sick leave are excluded. The union has recommended uniform application across all leave types.
Pilots contacted across Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet reported similar experiences, describing the concerns as industry-wide rather than airline-specific. Airlines maintain that their practices align strictly with DGCA regulations and fatigue management standards.
The dispute has now moved to the Delhi High Court. The Federation of Indian Pilots has filed a contempt plea against the DGCA, alleging that the regulator has allowed relaxations under the FDTL framework despite a prior commitment to enforce the stricter norms approved earlier this year. During a hearing last week, the Delhi High Court asked the association to present evidence showing that the DGCA had knowingly deviated from the court-endorsed implementation process.