Court notice to Govt on pilots’ duty hours

The SC issued a notice to the Union Government on a plea of the pilots' body against a rather strenuous duty roster of 1992 that requires them to undertake up to three fights within their nine-hour daily duty schedule.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Union Government on a plea of the pilots’ body against a rather strenuous duty roster of 1992 that requires them to undertake up to three fights within their nine-hour daily duty schedule.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan also sought response of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL), formed after the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India.

The pilots’ body, Joint Action Committee of Airlines Pilots’ Associations of India, has challenged a ruling of the last month by the Bombay High Court, which upheld the revised duty roster for the pilots.

On July 10 this year, the apex court had restored the 1992 duty roster for pilots, temporarily suspending an interim order of Bombay High Court, which on July 1 had implemented a duty roster requiring pilots to undertake only two flights during their daily duty schedule before earning a rest period of six hours.

The new relaxed duty schedule for pilots, involving a maximum of two take-offs and two landings within nine hours, was chalked out by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in 2007 after wide consultation on the issues of light safety norms, crew fatigue, etc.

The new schedule had been in operation since August 2007 with due approval of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. But the Ministry reportedly junked the pilots’ relaxed duty roster “overnight” on May 29, 2008, following representation from various airlines.

However, on July 1, the High Court suspended the said decision on a plea by the pilots’ body, which said 30 per cent accidents world-wide were caused due to pilots’ fatigue that impairs their motor action and decision-making power.

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But on July 10, the apex court suspended the High Court order on a petition by the Civil Aviation Ministry, the DGCA and the NACIL. The apex court also asked the High Court to expeditiously decide on the plea of the pilots’ body which challenged their strenuous duty roster.

Subsequently, in its ruling last month, the High Court dismissed the pilots’ plea, upholding the ministerial diktat for strenuous duty schedule.