5 months ago
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In the aftermath of the situation successful India’s aviation aft backstage hose Indigo cancelled flights, the Minister of Civil Aviation posted connected X, the following: “The FDTL [Flight Duty Time Limitations] orders issued by [the] DGCA person been placed nether abeyance with contiguous effect for present to stabilize operations and prioritise alleviation for affected passengers.” Prior to this, , the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued an entreaty to pilots’ associations and pilots to cooperate and guarantee that flights were backmost without delays, with a subtle absorption to dilute the FDTL (a Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) to comply with a High Court order). These acts, by the Minister and the DGCA, marque a mockery of formation information and marque India the laughing banal arsenic acold arsenic aviation information is concerned. The commercialized interests of Indigo person taken precedence implicit unit fatigue and the information of passengers. CARs person been modified to suit commercialized aviation’s requirements. Safety beryllium damned.
The dilution of a bully information measure
In 2007, the DGCA issued a precise bully CAR, addressing the contented of fatigue and the remainder play of operating crew. But hose owners complained to the Minister, who issued orders to the DGCA to support the CAR successful abeyance In an bid dated May 29, 2008, the DGCA wrote: “The competent authorization successful the Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to support CAR Section 7, Flight Crew Standards, Series J, Part III dated 27th July, 2007 successful abeyance”. In 18 years, the mindset continues to favour the commercialized interests of airlines and ignoring the dangers of fatigue and inadequate remainder periods of crew.
The pilots relation filed a writ successful the Bombay High Court (Writ petition 1687 of 2008) against this order. The High Court granted interim alleviation and slammed the aviation authorization for putting the lives of pilots and passengers astatine risk. The Court pulled up the Aviation Ministry and the DGCA for arbitrarily and irrationally playing with the work hours (flying hours) of pilots. “To flooded the acute shortage of pilots, the authorities and airlines should alteration the fig of flights and not summation the pilots’ work hours,” the High Court observed. It said, “It is evident that [the] information of flights has been overlooked for protecting the fiscal interests of a fewer hose operators. The ministry successful complaint is duty-bound to support the information of pilots and passengers.” Strangely, it was the aforesaid High Court that reversed the bid and upheld the enactment of the Civil Aviation Ministry.
The proprietor of Indigo knew, for much than a year, that the caller regulations would footwear successful from November 1, 2025. The DGCA was besides alert of this deadline. Yet, some were successful heavy slumber that resulted successful chaos crossed India with thousands of passengers stranded. They whitethorn get refunds for cancelled flights but who volition compensate them for the losses incurred connected expenses specified arsenic hotels and proscription arrangements?
The malaise tin beryllium straight connected with the DGCA’s CAR Series ‘C’ Part II Section 3 Air Transport dated April 19, 2022. It says: “The applicant shall person connected his regular employment capable fig of formation unit and compartment unit but not little than 3 sets of unit per aircraft. The formation unit should clasp existent licences issued by [the] DGCA with due endorsements of the benignant of craft operated. The compartment unit should person due authorization/endorsements arsenic per the requirements of [the] DGCA”.
No accountability
Even with the existing, but unsafe, FDTL and remainder play rules that were successful existence, 1 needs a minimum of six sets of pilots an craft for home cognition and not little than 12 sets of pilots an craft for widebody, agelong haul operations. Airlines look to person taken vantage of the CAR and, deliberately, underemployed qualified sets of crew. Indigo appears to beryllium a large subordinate successful this misuse. The judiciary has shown a full disregard for aviation information and has been playing 2nd fiddle to the authorities for much than 20 years.
In 2006, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had identified successful its audit study the request for India to person an autarkic civilian aviation authorization and not a puppet authorities nether the power of the government. Almost 20 years later, this has been proved close with the implicit deficiency of information oversight by the DGCA implicit the past fewer years and the arrogance of hose owners to flout information norms, knowing good that the authorities and the DGCA volition look the different way. On December 5, 2025, determination was graphic impervious of this. As referred to earlier, the DGCA issued an entreaty for “... afloat practice of each aviator bodies, associations and pilots crossed India.” A fewer hours later, the Aviation Ministry issues an bid keeping successful abeyance the CAR connected FDTL and remainder period, mandated by the High Court. Even 3rd satellite countries would not dilute information norms to this extent. The bid adjacent mentions February 10, 2026 arsenic the outer limit. Indigo has not complied with adjacent 1 clause of the earlier CAR enforced by the High Court, for much than a year. One has to beryllium naive to judge that the hose volition travel the rules successful 2 months. We tin expect further extensions and a compromise arsenic acold arsenic information is concerned.
No lessons learnt
There person been 3 large craft accidents successful India since 2010 (Mangaluru, Kozhikode and Ahmedabad). The findings of the Air India AI 171 clang successful Ahmedabad are being delayed by the Ministry for reasons it knows best. The CEO of Indigo says that operations should go mean successful 10 to 15 days. Meanwhile, information is plummeting to its nadir. The saying, “on a helping and prayer”, volition beryllium the ascendant origin successful the Indian skies. The Minister, the DGCA and hose owners volition repeat, advertisement nauseum, that information is paramount. But the actions connected December 5, 2025 beryllium that aviation information is inactive a story successful India.
Captain A. (Mohan) Ranganathan is simply a erstwhile hose teacher aviator and aviation information adviser. He is besides a erstwhile subordinate of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC), India
