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On the day Air India knowledgeable its cockpit crew of a diluted model of the remaining and obligation norms mandated by the Delhi High Court in April, set to take impact three days from now, and paperwork confirmed the DGCA had granted exemptions to some airways, a pilots’ group referred to as the transfer a “breach of legislation” and sought its rapid withdrawal. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
At a townhall with pilots on Tuesday (October 28, 2025), Air India outlined a modified obligation and relaxation schedule that deviates from the court-mandated scheme, permitting as much as three landings for duties beginning between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., as a substitute of the 2 permitted by the courtroom. Additionally, if the final flight as a consequence of delay spills past midnight, the courtroom ordered cap of two landings has additionally been disregarded.
After an extended authorized battle, the Delhi High Court on April 7, 2025, ordered a phased implementation of revised obligation and relaxation norms following complaints from pilots of mounting fatigue as a consequence of grueling rosters and growing night time flying.
Under the courtroom’s instructions, the primary part of revised obligation norms, efficient July 1, required growing weekly relaxation from 36 to 48 hours. In the second part, set to start on November 1, new limits on night time flying have been to take impact, increasing the definition of night time operations from the sooner midnight to five a.m. window to midnight to six a.m. During these hours, whole obligation time together with pre- and post-flight duties was capped at 10 hours, with not more than two landings permitted.
Documents reviewed by The Hindu present that the DGCA has authorised the above exemptions to the Air India Group airways.
“The reported grant of extension to airways quantities to a deliberate departure from the timeline affirmed earlier than the Hon’ble Court, undermining the sanctity of judicial proceedings and eroding the boldness of stakeholders within the regulator’s adherence to the rule of legislation,” the Federation of Indian Pilots wrote in its letter to the DGCA, demanding that the exemptions be withdrawn inside 48 hours failing which it could method the courtroom for “willful disobedience and contempt of courtroom.”
It is reliably learnt that IndiGo too has been permitted as much as three landings for duties reporting between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., together with relaxations for flights between midnight and a couple of a.m., the place the two-landing cap is now not necessary. These modifications successfully shrink the definition of night time obligation of midnight to six a.m.
Pilots clarify that staying alert throughout the Window of Circadian Low (WOCL) of two a.m. to six a.m. was difficult as cognitive efficiency drops to its lowest as a result of physique’s pure circadian rhythm.
An airline govt stated that the relaxations have been offered as a consequence of “operational challenges as a consequence of improve in layovers for crew”, including that their relaxation timing was being enhanced for added landings regardless of a reporting time between 5am and 6am.
The DGCA didn’t reply to queries on the exemptions granted to airways, and whether or not these violated Delhi High Court order.
Published – October 28, 2025 08:41 pm IST
