The Federation of Indian Pilots has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to enforce flight duty time limitation rules fully and withdraw temporary exemptions granted to airlines, citing growing concerns over pilot fatigue and the recent deaths of several young pilots.
In a letter to the DGCA director general, FIP president Captain C.S. Randhawa called for stricter oversight of rosters, rest periods and fatigue-related risks. The federation also proposed a national Fatigue Risk Management System oversight programme led by the aviation regulator.
The letter referred to the deaths of Air India captain Tarundeep Singh and Akasa Air captain Arjun Naidu in April 2026, and Air India captain Sunny Asladekar in September 2026. According to the report, the deaths occurred during layovers or training periods. FIP has not claimed that fatigue was officially established as the direct cause of any of these deaths.
Instead, the pilots’ body said the deaths of medically fit young pilots warranted a wider regulatory review of roster patterns, inadequate sleep and disruption to the body’s biological clock. Its position highlights a distinction between compliance with prescribed duty-hour limits and the actual quality and duration of rest available to flight crew.
Flight duty time limitation rules are intended to regulate the amount of time pilots can remain on duty and the rest they must receive between assignments. FIP said that recording flight hours alone cannot guarantee safety if pilots are unable to obtain adequate sleep or are required to work schedules that increase fatigue risks.
The federation cited the January 25, 2024, Batik Air incident in Indonesia as an example of the potential consequences. In that case, both pilots reportedly fell asleep for about 28 minutes during a flight, causing the aircraft to deviate from its intended route. FIP said the incident occurred even though the applicable rules had been followed, underlining the need to assess real-world fatigue rather than relying only on paper limits.
Among its recommendations, the federation asked the DGCA to cancel all temporary exemptions given to airlines and introduce quarterly fatigue reports from carriers. It also proposed an impartial scientific investigation into pilot health and cardiac incidents recorded between 2023 and 2026.
FIP further sought formal participation for pilot organisations in future discussions concerning flight duty time limitations and fatigue risk management systems. Such involvement, it said, would bring operational experience into regulatory decisions concerning scheduling and rest.
The federation’s demand places responsibility for the next step with the DGCA, which would have to decide whether to review existing exemptions, establish the proposed oversight programme and require additional reporting from airlines. The letter does not itself change the applicable aviation rules or establish a link between fatigue and the reported deaths.
