‘Pilots cannot fly under FDTL’: Air India issues clarification on reports of pilot refusing to fly London-Delhi flight

Air India has issued a clarification on reports that its pilot refused to fly the London-Delhi plane after it made an emergency landing in Jaipur due to bad weather. The carrier stated that the cockpit crew came under the FDTL – Flight Duty Time Limitations – because of which the pilots could not operate the flight. 

Various reports had stated that a pilot, flying the London to Delhi flight, refused to fly the plane after it had to make an emergency landing in Jaipur. As many as 350 passengers had to seek alternative arrangements to reach Delhi. They were stranded at the Jaipur airport for about 3 hours following the pilot’s refusal to fly the plane. 

Air India said that it is misleading to say that the pilots of the AI112 had left the aircraft citing their duty time is over, leading to inconvenience caused to passengers. 

“Fact of the matter is the London-Delhi AI112 flight was diverted to land at Jaipur at 4 am today due to inclement weather & poor visibility at Delhi. While the aircraft was waiting for Delhi weather to improve and take off, the cockpit crew came under FDTL, that is Flight Duty Time Limitations. Pilots cannot operate a flight once they come under the FDTL, as laid down by regulatory authorities,” a spokesperson said. 

The FDTL has been devised to keep check on the fatigue and mental health of the pilots and cockpit crew. The state has prescribed certain regulations relating to flight time, flight duty period, rest period limitations to manage fatigue among pilots and cockpit crew. 

Air India said that it accords top priority to the safety of its passengers and adheres strictly to the operations regulations. It immediately arranged a fresh set of crew to operate the flight. “Passengers were served refreshments after mandatory immigration clearance at Jaipur airport and were flown into Delhi at 2 pm,” it said.

According to reports, the Air India flight had to be redirected to Jaipur as weather conditions deteriorated in Delhi. The flight that was scheduled to arrive in Delhi at 4am, circled in the sky for around 10 minutes before it was diverted. 

Also read: 350 passengers made to wait for hours as pilot refuses to fly delayed London-Delhi Air India flight

Also read: Air India cockpit entry case: DGCA suspends pilot-in-command's licence for 1 year