Fatigue, rostering: Pilot body flags 6 deaths in 3 years, asks DGCA for urgent review

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Wednesday cited six pilot deaths on duty between November 2023 and September 11, 2026, and urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct an “urgent and comprehensive” review. It asked the aviation regulator to strengthen oversight of fatigue-management practices, including implementation of flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules and fatigue risk management systems (FRMS).

In December, DGCA eased some pilot duty rules after a staffing crunch forced the country’s largest airline, IndiGo, to cancel hundreds of flights. FDTL rules are yet to be fully implemented as the airlines have managed waivers, particularly on Boeing 787 Dreamliner and night operations

In a letter to the aviation regulator on Wednesday, FIP said it remains deeply concerned about the increasing evidence of fatigue-related operational risks and the continued deferment and dilution of certain FDTL provisions through operator-specific dispensations. It added that the pilot deaths have heightened concerns regarding cumulative fatigue, circadian disruption, recovery opportunities, and pilot well-being.

FIP said it does not seek to establish any direct causal link between fatigue and the individual deaths. “We believe that these events warrant an urgent and comprehensive review of fatigue exposure, rostering practices, recovery opportunities, medical surveillance, and FRMS effectiveness across Indian aviation operations.”

FIP’s letter comes amid concerns over the implementation of FDTL provisions and operator-specific dispensations. It has sought independent scientific review of pilot health trends and fatigue-related medical events, immediate withdrawal of FDTL dispensations granted to operators and uniform implementation of all approved provisions.

FIP called for a “uniform” implementation of all approved FDTL provisions, establishment of a DGCA-led National FRMS Oversight Programme, mandatory quarterly fatigue-reporting and FRMS performance submissions by operators and formal participation of pilot representative bodies in future FDTL and FRMS discussions.

FIP alleged that pilot fatigue remains significantly under-reported due to concerns regarding roster disruption, operational pressures, and perceived career consequences. It said that the existing fatigue reporting mechanisms require greater transparency and stronger protection of reporting pilots.

FIP said pilot deaths, irrespective of their eventual medical findings, should serve as an opportunity for the Indian aviation system to strengthen fatigue-risk governance, improve pilot health monitoring, and reinforce the foundational principle that safety must remain the overriding consideration in civil aviation.