NEW DELHI, India — The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued new directives requiring airlines to provide annual fatigue-management training for pilots, cabin crew and personnel involved in crew scheduling, amid growing concern over extended duty hours and fatigue-related safety risks.
Under the updated guidelines announced Tuesday, each airline must include at least one hour of specialized fatigue training every year as part of its routine ground-training program.
The training must cover flight- and duty-time rules, mandatory rest periods, the science of sleep, disruptions to the body’s internal clock and the effects of fatigue on cockpit and cabin performance. Airlines must also train crew to recognize fatigue, manage lifestyle and rest, and understand the unique demands of long-haul operations, frequent short flights and flights that cross multiple time zones.
Dispatchers and flight schedulers may also be included in the training, given their role in staff rostering.
The DGCA has further directed airlines to create a transparent fatigue-reporting system and set up an independent Fatigue Review Committee to assess reports and recommend corrective action.
Airlines will be required to submit quarterly updates to the regulator detailing the number of personnel trained, fatigue reports received, how many were accepted or rejected, and the reasons cited. Crew members applying for fatigue leave must be granted at least 24 hours of rest, including one local night.
The move follows a July audit that uncovered inconsistent interpretations of fatigue-related rules across airlines. Pilot unions have also raised concerns that recent changes permitting more night landings and longer duty periods on select Boeing 787 routes could undermine safety.
The DGCA previously expanded mandatory weekly rest to 48 hours and restricted the number of night landings permitted — measures that initially met pushback from major carriers before being enforced via a Delhi High Court order.
The revised framework marks a renewed effort to prioritize crew well-being and proactively manage fatigue risks across Indian aviation. (Source: IANS)
