Six Indian airline pilots have died while on duty or during duty-related activities over the past three years, prompting the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) to seek a broader review of pilot health, fatigue exposure and airline rostering practices.

In a fresh representation to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), FIP president Captain CS Randhawa has called for the withdrawal of dispensations granted to airlines under Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules and the introduction of a mandatory Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) across aviation operations.

Randhawa has also sought an independent scientific assessment of the reported fatalities and broader pilot health trends. The proposed review would examine airline rostering, recovery periods, disruption of circadian rhythms and exposure to fatigue.

Federation Cautions Against Linking Deaths Directly to Fatigue

The federation has not claimed that fatigue caused any of the six deaths. Randhawa specifically noted that no official investigation had established such a causal relationship.

However, FIP said the incidents warrant a wider examination of working conditions and fatigue-related risks across the aviation sector.

“These events warrant an urgent and comprehensive review of fatigue exposure, rostering practices, recovery opportunities, medical surveillance, and FRMS effectiveness across Indian aviation operations,” Randhawa said in his representation.

The federation's concerns centre on exemptions from certain fatigue-related duty rules and the need for a comprehensive system that assesses risks beyond simply counting prescribed flight and duty hours.

FIP Lists Six Pilot Fatalities

According to FIP, the six fatalities occurred between November 2023 and September 2026.

The latest case involved Air India Captain Sunny Asladekar, who, according to the federation, was found dead in a Delhi hotel on September 11 while undergoing Boeing 787 conversion training during a layover. The cause of death remained under investigation, with cardiac arrest suspected, FIP said.

In April, Air India Captain Tarundeep Singh died following a heart attack during a scheduled layover and rest period in Bali. Akasa Air Captain Arjun Naidu died after suffering a heart attack during ground training in Bengaluru.

The federation's list also includes a 37-year-old pilot who died at Delhi airport's Terminal 3 during Boeing 777 training activities in November 2023.

Another case involved a Qatar Airways pilot who became seriously ill while operating as an extra crew member in February 2024 and later died despite the aircraft being diverted to Dubai.

FIP's sixth case concerns an air ambulance pilot who was killed in an aircraft crash shortly after departure from Ranchi in February this year.

Demand to Withdraw FDTL Dispensations

FIP has asked the DGCA to immediately withdraw FDTL dispensations granted to operators and uniformly implement all approved provisions.

The federation has said that any temporary variation should be permitted only when supported by safety-based evidence.

FIP has previously argued that repeated operator-specific variations and delays in implementing provisions have weakened the fatigue-mitigation framework envisaged under the revised FDTL regime.

Proposed National Fatigue-Risk Oversight Programme

The federation has proposed a DGCA-led National FRMS Oversight Programme involving the aviation regulator, airlines, pilots' associations, medical specialists, sleep scientists and human-factor experts.

Under the proposal, airlines would be required to submit quarterly information to the regulator covering fatigue reports received and rejected, corrective measures taken, fatigue-related operational occurrences and their FRMS performance.

FIP has also called for the DGCA to publish anonymised, industry-wide fatigue statistics every year.

In addition, the federation wants an independent scientific review of pilot health trends between 2023 and 2026, including cardiovascular events, cases of sudden incapacitation and health incidents associated with duty cycles.

Rostering and Fatigue Reporting Also Under Scrutiny

FIP has called for closer examination of airline rostering practices, including standby utilisation, reserve-duty allocation, ultra-long-range operations and exposure to circadian disruption.

The federation has also raised concerns about possible under-reporting of fatigue. According to FIP, pilots may hesitate to report fatigue because of concerns about roster changes, operational pressure or possible career consequences.

It has therefore sought a non-punitive fatigue-reporting culture, under which fatigue reports can be treated as safety information rather than a potential liability for pilots.

FIP Has Raised Concerns Repeatedly

The latest representation, dated September 15, follows earlier representations submitted by FIP to the DGCA in July and August concerning FDTL rules, pilot fatigue, health concerns and the need for a mandatory FRMS.

The federation's position is that compliance with prescribed flight and duty-hour limits alone does not necessarily eliminate fatigue risk. Factors such as sleep before duty, consecutive assignments, night operations, workload and disruption to the body's biological clock can also affect alertness and therefore need to be considered within a broader aviation safety framework.