Air India pilots headed for new round of protest

The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) has sent a legal notice to Air India (AI) for implementing new flight duty time limitation given by the aviation regulator without consulting the union.

The guidelines govern aspects like the maximum daily flight duty period including flying hours limitations, rest period, staff on duty travel and number of landings allowed per pilot as well as the crew to retain their licence.

The legal notice was sent to the AI’s chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan last week on Friday, by the ICPA, a pilots union of erstwhile Indian Airlines with over 800 members, on the issue of the airline unilaterally altering the FDTL.

In the legal notice, the ICPA has asked the airline not to alter the FDTL without consulting the union as the FDTL is governed by under an agreement between the ICPA and the management since 1993. The airline has entered in separate labour contracts with most of its unions.

The ICPA also said that the management has issued a new-route pattern effective from Sunday, September 16 which it feels is in violation of their bilateral agreements.

“Under these circumstances, the ICPA has issued a legal notice to the CMD. In these circumstances, any inadvertent violation on the part of our pilots of the applicable norms and regulations is entirely at the risk and expense of the management,” the union said in a statement.

The development comes after the government last week directed AI to immediately implement the FDTL for pilots and crew members. The civil aviation ministry expects that the FDTL will lead to optimum utilisation of its pilots and crew members and will reduce the requirements of operating staff.

A comparative analysis by the ministry found the national carrier flouting FDTL guidelines framed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Even the Dharmadhikari committee, which was tasked with looking into the passenger carrier’s human resource issues, had recommended strict implementation of the FDTL.