NEW DELHI: Following a spate of unfortunate deaths of Indian pilots on duty or duty-related activities in less than three years, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has asked the aviation ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to end all dispensations given to airlines from flight duty time limitation (FDTL) regulations. It has also sought an investigation into recent pilot fatalities.“…deeply concerned about increasing evidence of fatigue-related operational risks; the continued deferment and dilution of certain FDTL provisions through operator-specific dispensations, and the recent pilot fatalities that have heightened concerns regarding cumulative fatigue… and pilot well-being. While FIP does not seek to establish any direct link between fatigue and the individual fatalities, these events warrant an urgent and comprehensive review of fatigue exposure, rostering practices, recovery opportunities, medical surveillance, and fatigue risk management system (FRMS) effectiveness across Indian aviation operations,” FIP president Captain C S Randhawa has said in a mail to the aviation authorities sent on Tuesday.The federation has sought “immediate withdrawal of FDTL dispensations granted to operators in the interest of aviation safety; uniform implementation of all approved FDTL provisions; establishment of a DGCA-led national FRMS oversight programme; mandatory quarterly fatigue-reporting and FRMS performance submissions by operators; independent scientific review of pilot health trends and fatigue-related medical events and formal participation of pilot representative bodies in future FDTL and FRMS deliberations.”In Nov 2023, an Air India pilot had died at Delhi Airport terminal 3. In Feb 2024, an Indian pilot working for Qatar Airways took ill on a Delhi-Doha flight while travelling as operating crew member and subsequently died. In April 2026, a pilot each of Air India and Akasa died. Last week, an AI pilot died in his Delhi hotel room during a layover.

Big Indian airlines have managed to get multiple dispensations from FDTL norms that govern the duty hours of operating crew and their minimum rest along with the number of light landings they can safely perform. While these rules are for ensuring safety, airlines have managed dispensation by citing lack of crew that will impact their schedules.Struggling to survive in what is the most difficult period post Covid with oil prices spiking since the Iran-US war broke out this Feb and the rupee crashing amid continuing geopolitical challenges like airspace closures, airlines have so far managed to get a sympathetic view on dispensations they seek from FDTL norms. But a spate of unfortunate deaths now has alarm bells ringing in pilot circles and they want the aviation ministry/DGCA to act before more aviators lose their lives.