New FDTL rules: Have enough pilots, won't cancel flights, says Akasa CEO

As of February 2024, the cancellation rate at Akasa Air has been 0.30 per cent, which is the lowest among domestic Indian carriers

Akasa Air has enough pilots to prevent any cancellations during the summer schedule even as the new pilot duty time rules come into effect from June this year, the airline’s chief executive officer (CEO) Vinay Dube said on Thursday. 

“We have got almost 700 pilots, which means that at Akasa, we plan for the future. We have also been fortunate that pilots have wanted to join Akasa, thanks to what I hope is a long-term career that they see at the airline. And so, I would say, you will not see any cancellations for us,” Dube added. 

As of February 2024, the cancellation rate at Akasa Air has been 0.30 per cent, the lowest among domestic Indian carriers, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The overall cancellation rate of scheduled domestic airlines for the same month has been 0.90 per cent.

The new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules, which come into effect starting June 1 this year, are aimed at enhancing the rest periods of pilots. 

The aviation regulator revamped the FDTL regulations on January 8. 

The latest rules include additional rest for pilots, revision of night duty regulations, and directives for airlines to submit pilot fatigue reports and airlines are mandated to comply with the new notification by the aforementioned date. 

“We should applaud our regulator in this case for the effort and focus they have on continued safety.  We shouldn't get caught up in (things like) do we have one or two less pilots here and there or are there going to be one or two less flights,” Dube added.   

Akasa Air is set to operate its first international flight between Mumbai and Doha from March 28. This makes the budget carrier the first Indian airline to take to global skies within 19 months of commencing its operations.

It has received traffic rights to fly to Kuwait, Jeddah, and Riyadh. 

“Our planes have the capability to hit the eastern coast of Africa. We have an ability to fly equivalently north of Delhi.  We can hit Hong Kong from Bengaluru and Kolkata. We have real ambitions when it comes to international flying,” he said. 

He added that the airline is interested in flying to other international destinations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. 

Meanwhile, Akasa Air is set to operate 20 per cent more domestic flights this summer schedule as compared to the previous year.

The airline will operate 903 scheduled domestic flights per week this summer schedule as compared to 751 flights in the previous year.