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New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Air India has been granted a temporary extension in flight duty time for two-pilot Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft flying on European routes, which has become longer due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Friday.
The civil aviation regulator said the extension was based on specific operational reasons related to long-haul flights on European routes following the closure of Pakistan’s airspace.
Additionally, expected changes in wind patterns during the winter season may also increase flight times to these destinations.
For two-pilot Boeing 787 operations, the flight duty time limit (FDTL) has been increased from 10 hours to 10 hours and 30 minutes, and the flight duty period (FDP) has been increased from 13 hours to 14 hours.
DGCA clarified that the extension of up to 30 minutes in flight time and up to one hour in FDP will be applicable only in cases where the duty period increases after departure and not during flight planning.
FDP refers to the period between when a flight crew member reports for duty and when the aircraft comes to rest after completing the flight.
This clarification was given in response to the Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA) urging the DGCA to withdraw the exemption, as the move could lead to “fatigue-induced errors”.
The civil aviation regulator stressed that the exemption is a one-time approval, limited to only nine Dreamliner flights on European routes, and was issued after due consideration and in compliance with the safety oversight requirements for the winter programme.
Last week, ALPA India said in a statement that the current deviation gives the impression that the DGCA is paying more attention to operator convenience and commercial interests rather than prioritizing the core objective of flight safety.
DGCA further said that as part of fatigue mitigation measures, operators will have to submit monthly fatigue reports, no training flights will be conducted under relaxation and pilots operating these flights will be given an additional one hour rest.
–IANS
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