Rumble in the cockpit as DGCA defers new duty and rest rules

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Indian pilots are resenting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DHCA) decision to defer the implementation of the new rules on pilot duty and rest period, pointing to fatigue-induced safety concerns...

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), which has more than 5,000 members, has told the aviation regulator this decision endangers and undermines the safety of pilots and passengers...

"The latest revision by the DGCA has made the revised regulations a dead letter of the law as it has effectively granted operators discretionary powers in implementing the revised rules," the FIP wrote in a letter to civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia..

People aware of the development said that DGCA's decision to withhold the new rules came after the Ministry of Civil Aviation decided that cancellation of flights during the peak summer season would lead to public furore immediately after the takeover of a new government...

The Federation of Indian Airlines, a group that counts IndiGo and Air India as among its members, had said that there wasn't enough consultation with the industry before putting in the rest rules for pilots..

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