DGCA

Federation of Indian Pilots warns that DGCA's temporary relaxation in flight duty limits for Air India long haul flights could heighten fatigue risks and compromise safety

Large chunks of the West Asian airspace have since remained closed for commercial flights

Aviation safety watchdog DGCA has provided temporary relaxations in flight duty norms for Air India's long-haul flights as the airline is taking longer routes due to the airspace curbs amid the Middle East conflict, sources said on Sunday. With Iranian and Iraqi airspace restrictions, Air India is taking the Egypt route for European and North American flights, which means longer flying hours. Against this backdrop, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given certain relaxations in pilot Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms till April 30, the sources told PTI. There were no comments from Air India and DGCA on the FDTL norm relaxations. Providing the relaxations for the long-haul flights operated with two pilots, the sources said, adding that DGCA has extended the Flight Time (FT) by 1.30 hours to 11.30 hours and the Flight Duty Period (FDP) by 1.45 hours to 11.45 hours. Sources say that Air India has been violating the relaxation by planning its Jeddah flight, .

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DGCA has granted an aerodrome licence to Noida International Airport, enabling it to advance its approvals process even as the project faces delays in terminal construction and operational readiness

Aviation watchdog DGCA on Saturday advised airlines to avoid airspaces of 11 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, till March 2. The countries are Iran, Israel, Lebanon, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. Many airspaces are already shut in the wake of the attacks on Iran by Israel and the US on Saturday. Indian airlines have suspended their services to the Middle East. The advisory has been issued in alignment with international safety standards and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency's Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB), the regulator said. The watchdog has asked airlines to refrain from operating within the 11 affected airspaces at all flight levels and altitudes. Carriers have been asked to closely monitor all updated Aeronautical Information Publications (AIPs) and Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs) issued by the affected countries and national authorities. "This advisory is effective immediately and remains valid until March 02, 202

DGCA has revamped airline ticketing rules, adding a 48-hour free cancellation window, capping fees, tightening refund timelines and introducing passenger-friendly provisions for emergencies

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Asserting that safety lapses cannot be simply blamed on pilots, aviation watchdog DGCA on Tuesday announced a raft of strict measures for non-scheduled operators, including intensive audits and a safety ranking mechanism, amid safety concerns raised in the wake of recent aircraft accidents. After a special audit found various lapses, the regulator has also grounded four planes of Non-Scheduled Operator VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, whose aircraft crashed at Baramati, killing Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others on January 28. A day after a plane, operated by a non-scheduled operator (NSOP), crashed in Jharkhand, killing seven people onboard, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) held a meeting with all such operators on Tuesday. The meeting was held to "address a recent surge in aviation incidents and emphasised the critical need for an increased focus on safety across the sector", the regulator said in a statement. It also happened on a day when a Pawan

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Aviation safety regulator DGCA has put in place stricter breath analyser test requirements for pilots, wherein those found repeatedly violating the norms could even face cancellation of their pilot license, according to a source. Under the revised norms, which came into effect from February 9, FATA (Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation) of an expatriate pilot operating in India will be cancelled and not considered again if that cockpit crew tests positive for alcohol consumption during pre-flight breath analyser examination. Among other provisions, the license of a pilot who tests positive in a Breath Analyser (BA) test before operating a flight on three occasions will be cancelled, the source said. In September last year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had proposed changes to the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on the procedure for medical examination for crew members for alcohol consumption before and after operating a flight. "For confirmatory BA readings u

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The Federation of Indian Airlines, representing IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, has told the DGCA that the draft rules should focus on flight duty period instead of flight time

Airline tells DGCA it has put in place operational and rostering systems to comply with revised Flight Duty Time Limitation rules after one-time exemption ends

The aviation regulator said that IndiGo Airlines has stated that all necessary operational, rostering, and monitoring arrangements are being put in place to ensure full compliance with the approved FD

DGCA has launched a special safety audit of 14 charter operators, with field inspections underway and the first phase of the exercise expected to be completed by February 25

IndiGo has increased its crew buffer from zero in December to around 3 per cent in February and has also raised its pilot-to-aircraft ratio

According to the government, 754 aircraft from six scheduled airlines were examined for repeated technical snags from January last year till February 3 this year