By Kavita Mistry 
India’s aviation regulator has allowed Air India to temporarily extend the maximum duty hours and rest period for pilots on long-haul routes to allow the airline to tackle Pakistan’s airspace ban, according to an internal memo.
The exemption is for about two weeks beginning April 30 and is applicable for Airbus and Boeing long-haul jets, according to the memo, and is meant to cover flights to destinations in the U.S. The exemption been put in place while a permanent solution is being worked out, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The exemption increases the maximum flight duty period – typically the time between reporting for duty and the end of flight-related activities – for pilots and cabin crew, the memo showed.
Air India and India’s civil aviation ministry, which houses the regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), could not be immediately reached for comment.
Indian airlines are bracing for higher fuel costs and longer journey times after Pakistan shut its airspace to the country’s carriers as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours flared following an attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir last week.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Air India expects to face around $600 million in additional costs if the ban from Pakistan’s airspace lasts for a year, and has asked the federal government to compensate it for the hit.
The maximum pilot flight duty period for a flight of up to 12 hours is now 16 hours compared with the previous 14 hours, while for flights above 14 hours, the duty period has risen to 24 hours instead of 22 hours, according to the memo sent to pilots and seen by Reuters.
Extra rest periods of four hours and 12 hours over present limits have also been planned for crew at layovers and the home base, respectively.
The memo, which was earlier reported by the Economic Times newspaper, has stoked concerns among pilots about increased workloads at a time air travel in India is booming, with one Air India pilot telling Reuters the measures were “extreme.”
The DGCA is holding regular conversations with airlines to ensure pilots and cabin crew are not overburdened, the source familiar with the issue said. The pilot and the source declined to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media. (Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram)
