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Submit By: M.Ismail Airline Management Submit to: Sir Abuzar Ahmed

FLIGHT DUTY TIME LIMITATIONS

Flight and Duty Time Limitations (FTL) is the name of the rule set which is necessary to
ensure that air crew fatigue does not decrease the flight safety. Since the most of aviation
incidents and accidents are result of human factors, fatigue is taken into account as a major
factor which contributes to the human error. Therefore, the fatigue of crew members is an
issue in civil aviation since the 1944 Chicago Convention.

Duty

Any task that a crew member is required to carry out at the behest of the operator or any
other activities carried out by the crew member that are associated with flight operations or
the business of an AOC holder.

Duty Period

The time period which starts when the crew member reports for a duty at a time and place
required by the operator and ends when the crew member is free from all duties.

Flight Crew Member

A pilot, flight engineer or navigator designated by the operator for a duty on board of an
aircraft during the flight.

Flight Duty Period (FDP)

A time period which commences when a crew member reports for a duty (at a time
designated by the operator or at the starting time of duty period) that includes a flight or
a series of flights and which finishes at the end of the post-flight activities following the end
of the block time of the final flight of this flight duty.

Objective of a flight time limitations

 The prime objective of a flight time limitations scheme is to ensure that crew
members are adequately rested at the beginning of each flying duty period, and whilst
flying be sufficiently free from fatigue so that they can operate to a satisfactory level
of efficiency and safety in all normal and abnormal situations. Aircraft operators are
expected to appreciate the relationship between the frequency and pattern of
scheduled flying duty periods and rest periods and time off, and give due

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Submit By: M.Ismail Airline Management Submit to: Sir Abuzar Ahmed

consideration to the cumulative effects of working long hours interspersed with

minimum rest.
 Planned schedules must allow for flights to be completed within the maximum
permitted flying duty period. The CAA, when assessing the planning of a schedule
will take into account the time allowed for pre-flight duties, taxying, the flight and
turnround times. However, it is recognised that on occasion a planned flight will
experience unforeseen delays. Under these conditions, the aircraft commander may,
within prescribed conditions
 Other factors to be considered when planning duty periods include: a) the allocation
of work patterns which avoid such undesirable practices as alternating day/night
duties, the positioning of crew so that a serious disruption of established sleep/work
patterns occur, or scheduling rest periods of between 18 and 30 hours especially after
long flights crossing many time zones; b) planning days off and notifying crew well
in advance; c) consultation between operators and crew to agree basic roster concepts
which ensure adequate rest prior to flight but, within that constraint, takes account of
the commercial requirements of the company.

Managing Flight Time Limitations

For the purpose of managing fatigue, these regulations are established under the Standards
and Recommended Practices of ICAO Annex 6. This ANO provides limitations on flight
time, flight duty period, duty period and rest requirements with regards to variables which are
likely to influence flight and cabin crew member alertness (e.g., allowable flight hours, duty
and flight duty periods, and minimum rest periods) that may be applied when flight and cabin
crew rosters are planned.

This ANO is applicable to:

 All AOC holders

 Flight crew members
 Cabin crew members.

RESPONSIBILITIES

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Submit By: M.Ismail Airline Management Submit to: Sir Abuzar Ahmed

 Responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority

o The objective of any prescriptive limitations for fatigue management regulations is to
ensure that flight and cabin crew members remain sufficiently alert so that they can
operate to a satisfactory level of performance and safety under all circumstances. The
fundamental principle is for every flight and cabin crew member to be adequately
rested when he/she begins a flight duty period, and whilst flying be sufficiently alert
to operate to a satisfactory level of performance and safety in all normal and abnormal
situations.
o Issuance of this ANO complies with the abovementioned responsibility. Continued
surveillance obligation is fulfilled by PCAA through surveillance activities on all
AOC holders to verify compliance.

Operator’s Responsibility

o It shall be responsibility of the accountable manager to ensure the implementation,

monitoring strict adherence of this ANO and prompt reporting of any exceedance
thereof. It shall also be responsibility of crew member equally to ensure adherence
proviso this ANO requirement.
o An Operator shall establish flight time and duty period limitations and a rest scheme
that enables it to manage the fatigue of all its flight and cabin crew members. This
scheme shall comply with the regulations established in this ANO, and shall be
included in the Operations Manual.
o Operators shall reflect in their Operations Manuals those elements of this ANO that
are appropriate to the operations they undertake. If operations are planned that cannot
be managed within the limitations as published in Operations Manual, a variation may
be requested. In this case, and before a variation is approved, an Operator shall
demonstrate to the PCAA that the variation provides an equivalent level of safety and
that objections on grounds of safety are taken into account.
o Duty rosters/programmes shall be prepared and published sufficiently in advance to
provide flight and cabin crew members the opportunity to plan adequate rest.
Consideration should be given to the cumulative effects of undertaking long duty
hours interspersed with minimum rest, and of avoiding rosters that result in the
serious disruption of an established pattern of working and sleeping. Rosters should

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Submit By: M.Ismail Airline Management Submit to: Sir Abuzar Ahmed

cover a period of at least 15 days for scheduled operations and at least 12 hours for
non-scheduled operations.
o Flights shall be planned to be completed within the allowable flight duty period
taking into account the time necessary for pre-flight duties, the flight and turn-around
times, and the nature of the operation. Minimum rest periods needed to provide
adequate rest should be based upon the actual operation. 6.2.6 In order to avoid any
detriment to a flight or cabin crew member’s performance, opportunities to consume a
meal must be arranged when the flight duty period exceeds 06 hours for scheduled
operations.
o The Operator should nominate a home base for each flight and cabin crew member,
from where the flight and cabin crew member will normally start and end a duty
period or a series of duty periods. The home base should be assigned with a degree of
permanence.
o The Operator shall not require a crew member to operate an aircraft if it is known or
suspected that limitations provided herein and in the Operations Manual are likely to
exceed or the crew member is fatigued to the extent that the safety of flight may be
adversely affected.

Flight and Cabin Crew Members’ Responsibility

o Flight / Cabin Crew Member shall not operate an aircraft when he or she knows or
suspects that limitations provided herein and in Operations Manual are likely to
exceed or he/she is fatigued or feels unfit to the extent that the safety of flight may be
adversely affected.
o Flight / Cabin Crew Members should make best use of the facilities and opportunities
that are provided for rest and for the consumption of meals, and should plan and use
rest periods to ensure that they are fully rested.

DUTY PERIOD, FLIGHT DUTY PERIOD AND FLIGHT TIME

Duty Period

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Submit By: M.Ismail Airline Management Submit to: Sir Abuzar Ahmed

This limitation is meant to be for a period, which starts when flight or cabin crew members
are required by an Operator to report for or to commence a duty and ends when that person is
free from all duties.

These duties include, but are not limited to: pre-flight preparation; conduct of the flight
(whether or not this is commercial air transport); postflight actions; training given or received
(classroom, flight simulator or aircraft); rostered office/management time; and positioning.

Each Operator is required to include in their Operations Manual, the maximum duty period
for flight and cabin crew members:

a) In a week (7 consecutive days);

b) In a calendar month, 30 consecutive days;

c) In 365 consecutive days – 12 months.

Maximum flight time and maximum flight duty period

Maximum flight time is defined as the time from ‘blocks Off’ to ‘blocks On’ and maximum
flight duty period is defined as a period which commences when a flight or cabin crew
member is required to report for duty that includes a flight or a series of flights and which
finishes when the aircraft finally comes to rest and the engines are shut down at the end of the
last flight on which he/she is a crew member.

MINIMUM REST PERIOD LIMITATIONS

o Flight crew members: The Operator shall provide each flight crew member of an
aircraft with a minimum rest period immediately before commencing a flight duty
period which shall not be less than as given below for each operation, and shall
provide a rest period of not less than twenty-four hours after availing his/her rest
period of last flight in each period of seven consecutive days or shall provide rest
periods as directed by the DGCAA.
o Twice the duration of the flight duty period of previous flight and not less than 12
hours.
o Charter & Aerial Work Operation with aircraft weight category of above 5700 kgs:
Twice the duration of flight time of previous flight or 11 hours, whichever is more.

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Submit By: M.Ismail Airline Management Submit to: Sir Abuzar Ahmed

o Charter, Aerial Work and Flying School with aircraft weight category of 5700 kgs
and below: Twice the duration of flight time of previous flight or 10 hours, whichever
is more.
o Cabin crew members: The Operator shall provide each cabin crew member of an
aircraft with a minimum rest period before each flight duty period which shall not be
less than twice the flight duty period of previous flight or 10 hours, whichever is
more, and shall provide a rest period of not less than twenty-four hours after availing
his/her rest period of last flight in each period of seven consecutive days
o Operator shall not assign any crew member to any duty during required rest period.
o An Operator shall not cause or permit any person to fly as a member of a crew if he
knows or has reason to believe that that person is suffering from fatigue to the extent
that the safety of the aircraft would be endangered.

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Submit By: M.Ismail Airline Management Submit to: Sir Abuzar Ahmed

RECORD KEEPING

o To comply with the regulations established in this ANO, an Operator shall maintain
records, for all its flight and cabin crew members of flight time, flight duty periods,
duty periods and rest periods.
o The Operator should ensure that these records include for each flight and cabin crew
member, at least: a) The start, duration and end of each flight duty period; b) The
start, duration and end of each duty period; c) Rest periods; d) Flight time.
o To enable the Operator to ascertain that the fatigue management scheme is
functioning as intended and as approved, records should be kept for 24 months from
the date of the last relevant entry, of the duties performed and rest periods achieved so
as to facilitate inspection by the Operator’s authorized personnel and audit by the
PCAA. Flight crew members shall maintain a personal record of their daily flight
time.

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