Weekly rest for pilots to be raised to 48 hours from 36 hours from July 1: Delhi HC

Effective July 1, airlines will have to provide weekly rest of continuous 48 hours. Representational file image.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

The Delhi High Court on Monday (February 24, 2025) ruled that the weekly rest for pilots will be raised from 36 hours to 48 hours from July 1 after a year-long delay in the implementation of liberalised duty and rest norms announced by the aviation regulator last year due to opposition from airlines.

The court of Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju passed an order on Monday setting July 1, 2024 as the date for implementing the relaxed norms that were announced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in January 2024 but were later put on hold for an indefinite period. However, some provisions that airlines have vehemently opposed, including those that restrict night flying, have been pushed for a period “on or before” November 1. The order follows an affidavit from the DGCA last week on the proposed implementation timeframe following several rounds of court-ordered mediation held by it between airlines and pilot unions.

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Effective July 1, airlines will have to provide weekly rest of continuous 48 hours so that there are no more than “168 hours (or 7 days) between the end of one weekly rest period and the start of the next.” This is currently at 36 hours.

Airlines will also be required to submit a quarterly report of fatigue complaints raised by pilots as well as action taken on them.

From November 1, the definition of night duty will be widened to include duty between midnight to 6 a.m., instead of midnight to 5 a.m. As airlines can’t assign pilots more than two consecutive nights of duty, the new definition will effectively reduce the quantum of night flying. Further, pilots can’t be given more than 8 hours of flying, or total 10 hours of duty period which also includes pre and post flight tasks, for flights during night duty. The maximum number of landings during night duty have also been capped to two.

The implementation of additional 24 hours of rest on top of 120 hours of rest after two consecutive ultra long-range flights such as those to the U.S. has also been deferred till November.

Unforeseen circumstances

Additionally, regulations governing pilot utilisation in unforeseen circumstances — such as inclement weather, medical emergencies — have been tightened. Airlines, which previously could request special dispensation to extend pilot’s duty beyond the 13-hour limit and flight time beyond 10 hours, now face stricter restrictions where the allowable over-run is reduced from 3 hours to 2 hours for total duty period. The rest for pilots during such circumstances has also been raised. These will also be enforced from November 1.

Various pilot unions, including Federation of Indian Pilots, Indian Pilot’s Guild and Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association had moved a petition before the Delhi High Court in May last year after the DGCA’s decision to delay the implementation of its January 2024 proposal.