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) have not commented yet.
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.
