Pilots refuse to fly beyond flight duty timings hours before new CMD takes charge at Air India

Air India stipulates that the daily flight duty time for a pilot is 8 hours and 125 hours in a month while the daily duty time for a pilot is 11 hours. Meanwhile, in a communication to its members, ICPA has not only asked them to strictly adhere to flight duty time limitations, it also said that frequent changes in programmed flights and pull-outs at short notice due to the acute shortage of pilots are adding to the already increased stress levels leading to “severe fatigue conditions” and therefore endangering flight safety. The pilots want flight duty time reduced to six hours and from their communication today, it is clear that in any instance when the flight duty time is stretched, they may refuse to operate flights. Deepa Mahajan, executive director Air India had issued an order which said “the Ministry of Labour & Employment has after, evaluation, in light of the duties and responsibilities of ‘Pilot in Command’ in Air India, as referred under Rule 141 of Aircraft Act 1934 and Rules made thereafter observed that the duties and responsibilities of Pilot in Command are of Managerial and Administrative nature which may not fall in the definition of the ‘Workman under section 2 of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947’.” What this means is an Air India PIC is a manager and an administrative category of pilot which forbids him or her from forming a union.