Delhi Court Asks Aviation Body to Explain Relaxations in Pilot Fatigue Rules
The Delhi High Court sought a response from the DGCA on a plea by the Indian Pilots Guild seeking contempt action against authorities for allegedly not fully realizing the new flight duty time limitation norms accepted by the court earlier this year. The plea supposed that airlines were granted extensions and relaxations in pilot fatigue management rules in violation of the Civil Aviation Requirement 2024 framework. Justice Amit Sharma issued notice to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on the Indian Pilots Guild's contempt petition and asked it to file a response. The court listed the matter for additional hearing on April 17. In its plea, the association sought the initiation of contempt proceedings against the authorities for their alleged wilful and deliberate non-compliance with the court's earlier orders. It said the new Flight Duty Time Limitation norms were meant to address fatigue management for the flying crew; however, by granting variations, exemptions, and relaxations to airlines, DGCA has defied the undertaking and directions of the high court and jeopardized flight and passenger safety. "By approving non-compliant FDTL schemes and granting variations, exceptions and relaxations to the airlines, the actions of the respondents in the implementation of the FDTL CAR constitute wilful non-compliance of the directions of this court...," the plea said. DGCA's counsel opposed the contempt plea, arguing that the court had not frozen the CAR's filings. While application timelines were binding, the regulator retained constitutional powers under the Aircraft Act and Rules to grant temporary, case-specific exemptions. DGCA's counsel argued that such relaxations were limited, subject to review and that the CAR remains in force. Earlier this year, DGCA, in its affidavit before the high court in an alternative matter, said the new FDTL norms will be implemented in a phased manner. Of the 22 proposed clauses, 15 were implemented on July 1, and the remaining are to take effect on November 1, 2025. The watchdog's revised CAR 2024 related to the FDTL provides for more rest time for pilots, among concerns over pilot fatigue. Primarily, the new norms were to take effect on June 1, 2024. The court's decision followed pleas filed by the Indian Commercial Pilots Association, the Indian Pilots Guild, and the Federation of Indian Pilots concerning the regulator's revised FDTL norms. In November 2025, the Federation of Indian Pilots also filed a contempt petition, claiming that the DGCA had deliberately failed to comply with the High Court's directions. The federation demanded that, despite assurances to the court, the regulator allow airlines extensions and relaxations and clear fatigue management schemes that did not align with the CAR 2024 norms or the agreed timelines. Source: NDTV
