New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has temporarily relaxed pilot flight duty time limitation (FDTL) for long-haul flights, reported Press Trust of India. The move is expected to give reprieve to airlines struggling with managing longer, more circuitous routes in wake of the crisis in West Asia triggered by the US and Israel’s war on Iran.Asangba Chuba Ao, joint secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation told reporters during a media briefing that the move by the DGCA is aimed at ensuring pilot availability for smooth operations.Last year, the DGCA had introduced the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms which reduced the amount of time pilots can fly in a week. According to the new rules, pilots must be given 48 hours of consecutive rest, up from the earlier norm of 36 hours.In December 2025, a massive air travel crisis had resulted out of IndiGo cancelling over 1,000 of its scheduled flights leaving passengers in the lurch.Later, after the DGCA had granted IndiGo temporary relief by suspending implementation of the new FDTL rules, the Airlines Pilots’ Association of India (APAI) had sharply criticised the DGCA and warned that the move endangers passengers.In a letter to the DGCA, the association had said, “IndiGo pilots will now fly with reduced rest and increased fatigue, placing their passengers at elevated risk.”Back then, the association had argued that the crisis last year was rooted in the airline’s planning failures and an over-reliance on “prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy,” pointing to inadequate hiring, frozen pay and tight staffing in flight operations.