Has the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) overlooked an important aspect of flight safety — crew fatigue — by increasing flight time and cutting down on rest period? The question has come up for consideration before the Delhi High Court.
‘Safety rule violated’
A petition before Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva challenged the Civil Aviation Requirement, 2016, by stating that it violated the “basic safety standard”.
Flight time means the total time from the moment an aeroplane moves for the purpose of taking off till the moment it finally comes to rest at the end of the flight.
The petition said increasing flight time put the safety of crew and passengers at risk.
“If the crew is fatigued, how efficient will they be in a case of an emergency?” asked the petitioner.
He said a flight time of 11 hours had been increased to 15 hours and that of 11-16 hours to 18 hours.
A flight time period starts when a cabin crew member is required by an operator to report for duty and ends when that person is relieved of his/her duties.
‘DGCA to decide’
The court said, “The DGCA has the power to prescribe the flight time.”
“Now, the issue is whether the number of hours of flight time prescribed enhances the safety or undermines the safety of the flight. If the DGCA says 12 hours is the flight time, can this court say it should be 11 hours 30 minutes?”
‘No compromise’
“Everybody is bound by safety rules. Nobody wants to compromise safety because ultimately, we all travel. I am sure the DGCA will amend the rules, if need be,” added the court.
Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain assured the court that he would have the issue examined and incorporate new rules, if need be.
“If any constructive suggestion comes, we will incorporate it,” he told the court.
