Fatigue among pilots appears to be a gloomy cloud in the midst of the country’s booming aviation traffic and expanding aircraft fleet, with senior captains and pilots’ groups emphasising the need for more serious measures to address the concerns. While restrictions on flight duty time limits and particular rest hours are in place, top captains believe that a more scientific approach as well as a stronger tiredness reporting system will aid in combating the “silent danger of weariness.”
A recent poll of 542 pilots conducted by the NGO Safety Matters Foundation revealed that the majority of them admitted to falling asleep without planning/consent of the other crew or experiencing micro sleep, indicating that weariness is a concern for the rapidly increasing Indian aviation area. Fatigue has long been identified as a potential safety risk, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global grouping of airlines that includes airlines from India, and the industry has developed extensive Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for managing fatigue risk.
According to a senior captain who requested anonymity, the latent danger of weariness must be tackled more forcefully because it impairs one’s cognitive capacities and psychological state. For example, working two consecutive nights of duty in several sectors usually leads in exhaustion, and the existing fatigue reporting system is unpopular among pilots, according to a captain associated with a major airline.
A pilot can report weariness to the safety department of the airline in question, and the report is subsequently transmitted to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). A senior pilot and ICPA office bearer expressed similar sentiments, stating that there is a lot of fatigue among pilots and that flying two consecutive nights is exhausting. The pilot also stated that the tiredness reporting mechanism is inadequate and emphasised the importance of DGCA conducting a scientific research to remedy the situation.
The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA), which represents approximately 900 Air India pilots flying narrow-body aircraft, wrote to the DGCA on September 12 urging the regulator to repeal all current regulations governing fatigue management for flight crew and replace them with new standards. Captain Sam Thomas, President of the Airline Pilots’ Association of India, told PTI that India has not taken a strong stance on the subject of fatigue management among pilots, particularly the necessity to ensure enough rest for pilots. He emphasised that fatigue risk management is not an isolated issue, and that fatigue issues are anticipated to become more prevalent as the aviation industry expands. “Flight safety should be the regulator’s and carriers’ top priority.”
ALPA India is the Indian arm of the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Association, with approximately 500 members (IFALPA). Thomas further stated that a robust fatigue risk management strategy should be discussed among pilots, regulators, and airlines, among other stakeholders. The DGCA was not immediately available for comment on the pilot tiredness issue. When contacted, Vistara stated that the airline adheres to all required standards and conventions in order to provide the crew and pilot with timely breaks and leaves. The carrier just introduced a completely automated crew rostering solution. It allows the crew and pilots to choose their lifestyle preferences, which are then included into their unique flying schedules.
Inquiries addressed to IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, and SpiceJet about the matter went ignored. Captain C S Randhawa, a senior pilot who has also served at the DGCA, stated that the rest period for pilots is set under the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) and is also based on a medical research. He also stated that if a person expresses exhaustion, it could indicate that the individual has not appropriately utilised the rest interval. “The CAR includes a provision for extending duty hours, but this also extends the rest period… If (some) pilots claim that the FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitation) was set without scientific analysis, those pilots must prove it “He stated.
Fatigue has long been acknowledged as a possible safety issue, according to Mark Searle, Global Director, Safety at IATA, and the industry has created detailed SARPs for controlling fatigue risk. He emphasised that SARPs are based on a large and expanding body of research, including ongoing feedback from safety-critical personnel, and that these SARPs are reviewed as new scientific data becomes available. “Staff weariness, and especially ensuring crew are fit to fly, is a focal focus of any operation, particularly during hectic summer schedules,” he told PTI. Jyotiraditya Scindia, India’s Civil Aviation Minister, stated in August that the country’s civil aviation sector is positioned for tremendous and healthy expansion in terms of air passengers, aircraft fleet, and airports in the future years.
By 2027, the country is predicted to have 40 crore air travellers, both domestic and foreign, and over 1,200 planes. Meanwhile, a poll of 542 Indian pilots discovered that 54.2 percent suffer from severe excessive daytime sleepiness, while 41.4 percent self-assess moderate daily sleepiness. “Sixty-six percent of respondents admitted to falling asleep without planning/consent of the other crew or experiencing micro sleep, indicating the impact of weariness on flight safety. 31% of pilots reported they had a close encounter while flying that could have resulted in an incident caused by weariness “According to the poll.
(source : PTI)
