The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted Air India a temporary relaxation in flight duty regulations, allowing its pilots to operate longer hours on certain international routes as airlines face operational disruptions caused by airspace closures in parts of the Middle East.
According to reports, the situation—triggered by ongoing geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran—has forced several airlines to reroute flights along longer paths. The changes have particularly affected long-haul services to Europe and North America. In response, an internal circular from Air India’s flight operations department outlines revised duty limits for pilots operating on the affected sectors.
Under the DGCA’s temporary exemption, pilots on certain long-haul flights operated with two-member crews can now fly up to 11 hours and 30 minutes, an increase of 90 minutes from the previous limit. The total flight duty period—which includes the entire time from reporting for duty until the aircraft is shut down—has also been extended by 1 hour and 45 minutes, raising the maximum to 14 hours and 45 minutes.
To ensure safety despite the extended duty hours, Air India has introduced additional precautions. These include enhanced pre-flight briefings for crews assigned to longer sectors, close coordination with the aviation regulator, and four extra hours of rest for pilots operating under the revised limits. The airline has also received temporary relief from the standard 30-minute roster planning buffer required under India’s crew scheduling regulations.
The exemptions came into effect on March 13 and will remain valid until April 30. They apply only to flights impacted by the Middle East airspace restrictions. Crew members will receive specific operational instructions for each flight through fleet-specific company NOTAMs, which will serve as both notification and pre-flight briefing documents.
Airlines across the world have been adjusting their operations following partial closures of Middle Eastern airspace that disrupted key global aviation corridors. Indian carriers, in particular, have been affected on routes to North America and Europe, which now require longer alternate paths—resulting in extended flying times, higher fuel consumption, and increased operational costs.
