Air India Pilots’ Union Highlights Fatigue Issues, Calls for Minimized Flight Gaps

The fully automated rostering system Jeppesen used by Air India has led to an increase in pilot fatigue, according to a letter from the pilots’ union Indian Pilots Guild to the airline’s chief of safety, Henry Donohoe.

The pilots’ union asserts that schedules made for the Airbus 320 force pilots to wait for long periods of time at the airport in between flights due to a lack of appropriate facilities for rest in the interregnum. The letter highlights that a pilot needs sufficient sleep, efficient fatigue management, and general physical health in order to perform at their best while flying.

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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has established the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) to ensure that pilots and cabin crew members receive enough rest periods. Following the recent death of an IndiGo pilot, the topic of pilot fatigue is receiving increased attention. Last week, when he was getting ready to fly from Nagpur to Pune, the pilot passed away at the boarding gate of the airport.

The Jeppesen rostering tool, which Air India has recently been using, has caused some “deep concern,” according to the IPG, who added that “we must address this specific issue as it pertains directly to flight safety and the well-being of both our esteemed flight crew and valued passengers.”

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The association claimed that, however, “the current practise of scheduling extended waiting periods within flight duty periods undermines the very nature of these regulations, jeopardising crew alertness and performance.”

The statement read, “In light of these concerns, we sincerely request the elimination of these gaps within duty schedules and urge for rostering of pilots and crew to ensure that flight time is as closely synchronised with the flight duty period as possible.”

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