The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday published a draft of a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) framework applicable to airlines, creating a scientific method of monitoring and managing fatigue among flight crew. The draft “Operations Circular” further clarifies that FRMS will be voluntary and the airlines are free to either continue with the current duty-hour and rest rules, or to use the FRMS model as an alternative, provided they can prove, by means of data and monitoring, that they comply with safety standards.
In contrast to conventional prescriptive regulations that merely establish a maximum and minimum limit on the length of flight duty cycles and minimum rest periods, FRMS is a system based on performance. It incorporates bio-mathematical fatigue models, sleep and activity monitoring, self-reporting by pilots and cabin crew, and safety-event data to enable a more precise view of fatigue development in pilots and cabin crew. This methodological approach is disciplined, and airlines can be active in identifying, assessing and mitigating fatigue risks rather than passively meeting the duty limits established by trade unions.
Airlines that decide to introduce FRMS will need to set a formal policy (approved on the senior management level) on scheduling, training, reporting processes, and corrective measures. Operators should be able to prove to DGCA that their system has achieved specified safety performance levels based on audits, operational data, and reviews of their oversight. When the system has been found to work, airlines can be given the right to book crew instead of the existing limits, as long as fatigue modelling and operation statistics verify that no harm to safety is done.
Shared responsibility is important to the success of FRMS. Flight crew will be asked to track their rest, keep sleep records, and report instances of fatigue. Operators should be asked to promote reporting without punishing staff and structure schedules that reflect fatigue information.
The relocation follows increasing international interest in fatigue as a real flight safety hazard. The problem has received publicity in India after accounts of long working hours and lack of rest.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates
Click Here for Chhattisgarh News
Click Here for Entertainment News