Come out with fresh norms on cabin crew duty hours: HC to DGCA

The Delhi High Court today asked aviation regulator DGCA to reconsider the norms on duty and rest hours for the cabin crew and to come out with a fresh one within 12 weeks.
Justice Vibhu Bakhru passed the order on a plea by an NGO and some Air India cabin crew members working on long haul flights, who had challenged the existing CAR 2016 on the ground that it did not take into account the fatigue faced by them due to their duty hours and the time they get for rest.
The Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) pertains to flight duty time and flight time limitations.

The NGO--Dedicated to Aviation Safety and Health-- represented by senior advocate Vivek Kohli in the court, had claimed in its plea that cabin crew fatigue affects and puts at risk their safety and those of the passengers.
Advocate Anubha Singh, who also represented the NGO as also the cabin crew, said the high court did not quash the CAR 2016 and gave the Directorate General of Civil Aviation 12 weeks to come out with new guidelines.
DGCA comes out with a number of CARs on issues which deal with operation, safety and management of airlines.
She said that the court, while passing the order, took on the record their contention that the CAR was "arbitrary, irrational, inhumane and exploitative in nature" and that DGCA did not take into account the international standards on the issue.