Mumbai, March 18 The pilots' group, ALPA India, on Wednesday urged the regulator, DGCA, to reverse the latest relaxations granted to Air India for long-haul flights with two pilots, amid the conflict in West Asia, saying that pilots would be exposed to an "unacceptable level of fatigue risk".
Raising concerns over the ongoing war in West Asia, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) has also sought measures for war-risk insurance coverage for the crew and passengers.
In a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the association has raised concerns about the relaxation of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms for Boeing 787 operations in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
While acknowledging that the relaxations have been necessitated by the current situation, ALPA India has flagged that there was a lack of prior consultation regarding non-reclining pilot seats in Boeing 787 aircraft.
Last week, DGCA provided temporary relaxations, extending the Flight Time (FT) by 1.30 hours to 11.30 hours and the Flight Duty Period (FDP) by 1.45 hours – in flight duty norms for Air India's long-haul flights, as the airline is taking longer routes due to airspace restrictions amid the Middle East conflict, sources had said.
These temporary relaxations in FDTL norms are applicable until April 30.
While acknowledging that the relaxations have been necessitated by the current situation, ALPA India has flagged that there was a lack of prior consultation with respect to the non-reclining pilot seats in Boeing 787 aircraft.
"...the lack of prior consultation – particularly for Boeing 787 operations (Non reclining Pilot seat) – has understandably caused understandable concern among crews already stretched thin," the association's President Captain Sam Thomas said in the letter.
DGCA has provided temporary relaxations in flight duty norms for Air India's long-haul flights as the airline is taking longer routes due to the airspace curbs amid the West Asia conflict.
With airspace restrictions in Iran and Iraq, Air India is taking the Egyptian route for flights to Europe and North America, which means longer flight times.
"We are receiving a lot of member complaints pertaining to operations extending to 11 hours and 30 minutes with only two pilots, as this introduces an unacceptable level of fatigue risk. In addition to immediate operational safety concerns, repeated exposure to such extended duty periods may also have longer-term health implications for the flight crew."
"We empathetically request your understanding of their perspective, roll back this measure immediately, as there seems to be no timeline in sight for the resolution of the war situation," ALPA India said.
Meanwhile, the pilot's grouping has sought war-risk insurance coverage for the crew, staff and passengers as a kind of explicit reassurance that they are comprehensively covered by additional insurance overriding the standard 'war risk exclusion' clauses in legacy policies.
"Such confirmation would alleviate deep-seated anxieties and affirm the value placed on their trust. We urge the DGCA to kindly compel airlines to confirm this by means of a special circular for the benefit of the crew and for the solace of their families," it added.
On Tuesday, the grouping asked its members to ensure that airline operators carry out "appropriate operational risk assessments" before planning flights in or near conflict-affected areas. ALPA India has also sought assurance on risk mitigation measures for the flight operations in the conflict zone.