IndiGo digitises pilot logs, will help flag pilot fatigue issue

Mumbai: Low-cost carrier IndiGo has become the first Indian airline to implement the ‘Digital E-logbook’ for its pilots, which will provide a direct flight data transfer from IndiGo systems to regulator DGCA’s digital governance initiative, eGCA. This will bring in transparency in operational logs and improve safety and efficiency.

The carrier, which operates over half of India’s domestic flights, began implementing the initiative from December 1. “We are proud to partner with DGCA in this leap towards digitalisation in Indian aviation,” said Captain Ashim Mitra, Senior Vice-President, Flight Operations, IndiGo.

The automated process will ensure that the flying hours entered in the eGCA e-logbook have consistency in data and format for all stakeholders. It will also offer real-time availability of flying hours data for pilots in compliance with aircraft rules, and timely issuance of pilot licences and renewals by removing duplication of manual processes.

The more important aspect of the digital e-logbook concerns pilot safety and the problem of pilot fatigue. Pilots have repeatedly complained of airlines stretching their duty hours across time zones, ignoring the fatigue factor which can endanger pilot and passenger safety. They have accused airlines of covering up safety information by cooking log books containing duty hours, and also accused the regulator of being lenient towards airlines violating the mandated regime of Flight Duty Time Limitations.

Capt Mohan Ranganathan, Chennai-based aviation safety consultant, told HT that the digital e-logbook was a very good move. Asked if it would help bring up the issue of pilot fatigue transparently and compel the authorities to address it, Ranganathan said it would, provided things were programmed genuinely. “Any programme can be manipulated,” he said. “IndiGo claims that it logs everything electronically. All simulators too have an e-log but we have seen several cases of fudging of data. Ideally, they should give pilots electronic swipe cards for an electronic record of duty hours.”

The eGCA section was created by DGCA last year exclusively for pilots. Earlier, for issuing a pilot licence, the pilot had to interact with three directorates in DGCA, all of whom verified pilot records. Each had a different process and there was no common platform linking the three, so pilots had to approach all separately with the same set of documents. Similarly, for issuing an Air Operator Certificate, the basic certificate required for an airline to fly, the latter had to deal with multiple directorates with the same set of documents. All these processes have now been integrated into a single digital window, eliminating delays and duplication of information.

As part of the eGCA programme, the DGCA has developed the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) which will integrate with the software systems of different airlines through the Application Programming Interface (API). “We have asked all airlines to acquire API with the eGCA logbook to auto-fetch details from multiple software systems,” said Arun Kumar, director-general of civil aviation, who has been spearheading the digital transformation. “IndiGO has completed the process, and the other airlines are also working on it.”