Air India Has Received Yet Another Huge Fine for Exceeding Flight Duty Time Limitations

Air India has been fined Rs 80 lakh by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for breaking rules on flight crew fatigue management systems (FMS) and flight duty time limitations (FDTL).

To ensure aviation safety standards, DGCA conducted a spot audit of Air India Limited in January to verify the operator’s adherence to FDTL and FMS regulations. It was found that the Tata Group-owned airline operated flight(s) in violation of Sub Rule (2) of Rule 28 A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937.

“The analysis of reports and evidence revealed that M/s Air India Limited operated flight(s) with both flight crew aged above 60 years flying together in few instances, which is a violation of Sub Rule (2) of Rule 28 A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. The operator was also found deficient in providing adequate weekly rest, adequate rest before & after ultra-long range (ULR) flights and adequate rest on layover to flight crew, which violates the extant provisions of the Civil Aviation Requirements pertaining to FDTL. Moreover, the instances of exceeding duty periods, wrongly marked training records, overlapping duties, etc. were also observed during the audit,” DGCA said in its order.

The Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) regulations for flight crew were revised in January, when the DGCA fined Air India Rs 1.10 crore for safety violations on specific “long-range terrain critical routes.” The revisions included raising the weekly rest period to 48 hours, extending night hours, and reducing the number of night landings to two from six previously.

The amended FDTL regulations, according to the DGCA, were developed following a thorough data analysis and input from a range of stakeholders, including individuals, pilot associations, and airline operators.