Tiredness and fatigue at work is common in many industries, but in aviation, fatigue can have far more serious consequences. If a pilot or crew member is exhausted, the safety of the entire aircraft, its passengers, and the crew is on the line. To avoid such risks, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has introduced new rules to help airlines better manage fatigue among pilots and cabin crew.

These guidelines were released after DGCA met with airlines and pilot associations in New Delhi to discuss duty hours and rest rules, after DGCA recently made changes that allow more night landings and longer duty hours for some Boeing 787 flights.

The DGCA has now made it compulsory for all airlines to provide at least one hour of fatigue management training every year. This will be part of the crew’s regular annual ground training. The training must explain rules on flying hours, duty hours, and rest, how sleep works and what affects the body clock. The training module will also include subjects causes of fatigue including health issues, long flights, night flying, and multiple short flights, how tiredness affects performance in the cockpit and cabin, the impact of lifestyle, diet, exercise, and family responsibilities on sleep, effects of flying across different time zones and basic course on sleep-related disorders.

Airlines are also encouraged to include staff like flight dispatchers and scheduling teams, since they plan crew duties and can influence fatigue levels.

Along with training, DGCA has asked all airlines to publish a clear fatigue reporting policy for their employees. They must also form an independent Fatigue Review Committee to study fatigue reports and recommend solutions.

Every three months, airlines must submit a detailed fatigue report to DGCA. This must include the total number of crew trained, fatigue reports received, list of accepted or rejected reports along with the reasons for rejecting a particular report.

If a crew member files a fatigue report, airlines must ensure they receive at least 24 hours of rest, including one local night of sleep.

In a July audit, DGCA also discovered that several airlines were still unclear about fatigue management rules. Earlier, DGCA increased weekly rest requirements to 48 hours and reduced the number of night landings permitted. Some airlines, including IndiGo and Air India, initially opposed these rules, but they were implemented after directions from the Delhi High Court.

With fatigue cases rising across the aviation sector, DGCA says these measures are essential to maintain safety. Proper rest, awareness, and transparent reporting are now being made a core part of India’s aviation safety framework.