Rising tensions in West Asia and changes in international air routes are now affecting the aviation sector. Because of these changes, many international flights are taking longer routes, which has increased overall flight times.
Due to this situation, the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given some relief to Air India on certain international routes.
The regulator has allowed limited and temporary changes to the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules.
This relaxation will apply only to selected international routes and special situations, not to all flights.
Increase in Flight Duty and Working Hours
Under the new approval, the maximum flight time for certain crew members has been increased from 10 hours to 11 hours and 30 minutes.
The flight duty period has also been extended. Earlier, the duty limit was 13 hours, but now it has been increased to 14 hours and 45 minutes. This means that pilots and other crew members may work for longer hours when required.
Question:
DGCA has allowed Air India to increase the maximum limit of flight duty period by how many hours?
A. 14 hours 45 minutes
B. 16 hours
C. 12 hours
D. 10 hours 30 minutes
Additional Relaxation in Duty Period
The regulator has also allowed airlines to extend their flight duty hours by around 1 hour and 30 minutes. In some cases, an extension of up to 1 hour and 45 minutes has been permitted.
However, this relaxation is not unconditional. Airlines must follow certain conditions while using this exemption.
Extra Rest for Pilots and Crew
Under the new arrangement, airlines must provide an additional four hours of extended rest to pilots and cabin crew.
This rule has been introduced to make sure that safety and efficiency are not affected, even if the crew works longer hours.
According to sources, Air India requested this exemption because the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has forced many flights to take longer diversion routes. This has increased total flight duration.
