Indian pilots plan to form association following IndiGo pilot's death

Indian airline pilots are planning to create an association to confront flying duty regulations that they say lead to fatigue and endanger safety, following the death of an IndiGo pilot who collapsed before a flight. Despite operating within regulatory frameworks, airlines are being pushed to their limits due to the surge in air travel in India, prompting former pilots to voice their concerns on social media and in newspaper columns. 

The recent death of the IndiGo pilot has heightened these worries, although the airline claims he had a 27-hour break before duty and was in good health. Captain Shakti Lumba, a retired vice president at IndiGo, has received support from hundreds of pilots who plan to team up with an existing group of 600 to raise awareness and report fatigue-related issues to authorities and airlines. 

Their main focus will be on compliance with international standards and recommended practices, flight safety, and pilot fatigue, which poses a clear and present danger to the safety of aircraft operations in India. India's aviation watchdog has not yet commented on the matter. In the US, regulators permit flights with two pilots to operate for a maximum duty time of 14 hours during the day and 9-10 hours for late-night flights. In India, pilots can be on duty for 13 hours in a 24-hour period, regardless of the time of day. 

While pilot fatigue is a widespread issue, India, as the world's fastest-growing aviation market, is at the center of the matter, with IndiGo and Air India-owned Tata group placing orders for hundreds of new planes. Several Indian pilots have raised concerns about work hours and erratic flight schedules, which are sometimes worsened by consecutive late-night departures without enough rest. A Reuters analysis of a chat group comprising over 400 pilots revealed mounting stress following the IndiGo pilot's death. One pilot commented, "Consecutive midnights are a killer," while another said, "It's time to start fixing things that are ailing Indian aviation." Vistara, an Indian airline, informed Reuters that fatigue management - which it claims is among the lowest in the industry - remains a high "focus area." Vistara stated that pilots' duty timings are planned well within regulatory norms to account for any unforeseen disruptions. IndiGo, which operates 1,900 flights a day, claims to have a comprehensive fatigue management system that monitors various parameters in line with international best practices. Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated in March that the government is aiming for India, the world's most populated country, to become a global aviation hub, with an expected "explosion of air traffic."