The Central government is working to revise the flight duty time limitations (FDTL) for airline crews which will enhance safety and reduce the risk of errors. The move comes months after a previous revision of FDTL, which was to come into effect from June 1 this year, had to be withdrawn amid concerns from industry experts. Three officials close to the development also confirmed the same.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was reworking to revise the FDTL after industry experts raised concerns over crew fatigue and its impact on flight safety. “The draft FDTL that was introduced in January this year could not be implemented as scrutiny revealed that they were not practical,” officials said. “They were introduced with an aim to de-stress the crew,” the official added. Another official said, “The DGCA is reworking the duty time limitations in a way that it brings in relaxed duty hours for the pilots while not making it challenging for the industry to execute it.”