DGCA urges Delhi HC to dismiss Federation of Indian Pilots' plea over new rest rules
DGCA) has urged the Delhi High Court to dismiss the writ petition filed by the Federation of Indian Pilots, arguing that a two-phased timeline has been set for implementing the contested amendments to pilot rest regulations.
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The DGCA, in an affidavit, stated that “15 clauses of the revised Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) will come into effect from July 1, 2025, with the remaining 7 clauses rolling out by November 1, 2025.”
In January, 2024, the DGCA introduced new duty norms for pilots, but these were paused after airlines raised objections. The proposed rules increase weekly rest to 48 hours from the existing 36 and limit the number of night flights a pilot can operate. As per the DGCA’s affidavit, 15 clauses, including the extended weekly rest, will take effect from July 1, while seven clauses covering night duty will come into force from November 1.
Low cost carriers Indigo and SpiceJet opposed the changes to night duty regulations. The revised rules cap night flight time at eight hours with a maximum of two landings and redefine the night period as midnight to 6 a.m., instead of the current midnight to 5 a.m. IndiGo warned that expanding the night window would cause a “severe operational impact.”
Airlines have until November 1 to comply with the new night operation rules. The DGCA outlined this phased rollout in its affidavit to the Delhi
