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Mumbai: Two Indian commercial pilots died within 48 hours of each other this week, as the Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA) blamed the Narendra Modi government’s two-year delay in implementing flight safety rules for a deepening pilot fatigue crisis in the country.

On April 29, Captain Tarundeep Singh of Air India suffered a heart attack during a layover in Bali. On April 30, Captain Arjun Naidu of Akasa Air passed away after a heart attack during a ground training session in Bengaluru. 

The ALPA, while asking the Modi government to ensure a time-bound implementation of the rules, blamed private airline operators for penalising and discouraging pilots’ attempts to seek flying exemptions due to exhaustion. 

Data released by an aviation safety NGO shows a 520% spike in the number of pilots designated as temporarily medically unfit (TMU) to fly between 2009 and 2023. Since August 2023, at least five Indian pilots – all under 50 years of age – have died while on duty. 

The Union government announced new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules in January 2024, intended to address this crisis and offer adequate rest to pilots and aircraft crew. The FDTL regulations mandated a 48-hour weekly rest period for pilots, up from 36 hours, capped flight duty at 10 hours, and limited night landings to twice a week.  

The government, while announcing these measures on January 8 2024, dubbed them a “substantial step” in addressing pilot fatigue and “enhancing overall flight safety” in the country. Then Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, had in a post on X even said these moves would give India “necessary arsenal as it prepares to clinch the largest domestic aviation market title”.  

The regulations were scheduled to........

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