[Answered] Analyze the impact of pilot fatigue on aviation safety in India. What measures have been taken by the regulatory authorities, and what further steps are needed to ensure the well-being of pilots and passengers?

Recently there have been instances where pilots have refused to operate flights citing fatigue which has often led to inconvenience and delays for passengers. In India, the civil aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) keeps a close watch on flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms compliance by airlines as well as flight crews. Globally, FDTL regulations are considered important to ensure that crew fatigue does not compromise flight safety. It is worth noting that flight crew fatigue and exhaustion are seen as major factors contributing to human errors in aircraft operations, which can lead to catastrophic accidents.

What is the impact of pilot fatigue on aviation safety in India?

• Impaired Reaction Time: Fatigue slows down cognitive and physical responses, affecting a pilot’s ability to react quickly to unexpected situations.
• Reduced Situational Awareness: Fatigue can lead to reduced attention, memory lapses, and decreased awareness of the aircraft’s position and surroundings.
• Poor Decision-Making: Fatigue can impair a pilot’s judgment and decision-making abilities, potentially leading to incorrect choices in critical moments.
• Errors in Communication: Communication breakdowns among pilots and air traffic controllers can occur due to fatigue-related cognitive deficits.

What steps can be taken to ensure the well-being of pilots and passengers?

• Strict implementation of ICAO guidelines: DGCA must ensure strict enforcement of ICAO guidelines related to rest periods between flight duty periods, guidelines for scheduling night operations, and norms for operating ultra-long-haul flights.
• International Experience: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) must frame these regulations based on ICAO standards and international best practices of the US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
• Airlines’ responsibility: Every airline is required to formulate its own FDTL scheme, which must be compliant with the regulations issued by the DGCA. Airlines could provide at least two days off every week and proper rest periods between flights for the pilots.
• New practices: Airlines should try new practices like preparing flight crew rosters in advance, training flight crew on fatigue management, maintaining fatigue reports of the crew & responsive action on these reports.
• Addressing Pilot shortage: India has emerged as the world’s third-largest aviation market & will require additional pilots every year over the next few years to keep up with the expected pace of fleet expansion.

Conclusion:

DGCA & Ministry of Civil Aviation must step up efforts & engage with airline companies to address crew fatigue and exhaustion which are seen as major factors contributing to human errors that lead to catastrophic accidents.