Aiming to help crew members manage fatigue in a better way, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday issued a new set of instructions.
The aviation regulator said that all airlines must provide at least one hour of training every year on how fatigue affects pilots and cabin crew. This training will be part of their regular annual ground training.
As per the guidelines, the annual training should explain rules about flying hours, duty hours, and rest; how sleep works and what disturbs the body clock; the causes of fatigue, including health issues; and how tiredness affects performance.
“The airlines also need to provide training on ways to reduce or prevent fatigue; the impact of lifestyle, food, exercise, and family life on rest; information on sleep disorders; the effects of long and short flights; and the impact of flying across time zones,” it stated.
Further, the training can also include people like flight schedulers and dispatch teams, since they help plan crew duties.
The DGCA also asked the airlines to release a clear fatigue reporting policy to all staff, create an independent Fatigue Review Committee to study reports, and suggest solutions. The report needs to be shared with the aviation regulator every three months.
This report should include the number of crew trained, the number of fatigue reports received, how many were accepted or rejected, and the reason behind rejections. Crew members must also get at least 24 hours of rest, including one local night when they are given fatigue leave, the DGCA said.
It is to be noted that the new guidelines come after the DGCA met with airlines and pilot associations to discuss duty hours and rest rules.
This meeting took place after the DGCA recently made changes that allow more night landings and longer duty hours for some Boeing 787 flights.