Indian pilots’ guild demands clear schedule for duty time rule rollout

The Indian Pilots’ Guild has urged the Delhi High Court to set aside the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s March 2024 flight duty time rule, which deferred its implementation indefinitely.

In a submission to the High Court on Wednesday, the union also asked the court to direct the civil aviation regulator to provide a date for implementation of the rules.

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The DGCA amended the rules governing pilot work hours in January. The revision included increasing the weekly rest period from 36 to 48 hours. Originally, the revised rule was to come into effect on June 1. However, its implementation was put on hold due to objections from airlines. In March, a revision was made to the rule, postponing its implementation.

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Pilot union writ petitions challenging previous rules were heard in court today, but the matter was adjourned to July 9 on DGCA’s request.

During the last hearing in April, the court asked DGCA for a tentative date for  implementing the revised duty time norms for pilots. Subsequently, the regulator had asked airlines to indicate a timeline for preparing a roadmap for implementing the new rules.