DGCA flight duty time limits (FDTL) explained

By Zulu Calculator · Updated 19 October 2026 · Aviation

India's flight duty time limitations (FDTL) for flight crew of scheduled operators are in DGCA CAR Section 7, Series J, Part III, revised in 2024. A two-pilot crew may have a flight duty period (FDP) of 13 hours with up to 2 landings, falling to 11 hours with 6 landings. Any duty that touches 00:00–06:00 is a night duty and is limited to 10 hours with 2 landings. So a crew reporting at 18:30 IST for two sectors must be on blocks by 04:30 IST, not 07:30.

This guide explains each limit in plain English for pilots, schedulers and student pilots, with worked examples. To check your own duty, use the DGCA flight duty time calculator.

Which rules apply, and what changed in 2024?

• The source is DGCA CAR Section 7, Series J, Part III, Issue III, Rev 1 (8 January 2024) and Rev 2 (26 March 2024). The paragraph numbers in this guide refer to that text.
• It covers flight crew of scheduled operators. Cabin crew, non-scheduled and helicopter operations have their own rules.
• The 2024 revision widened the night window to 00:00–06:00, cut a night duty within the acclimatised time zone to 10 hours with two landings, limited crews to two night duties in a row, and raised weekly rest to 48 hours including two local nights.
• Every operator flies to its own DGCA-approved FDTL scheme, and DGCA has granted operator-specific relaxations at times. The current CAR on dgca.gov.in and your operator's approved scheme always decide. Use this guide for study, planning and cross-checking.

Key words in the DGCA FDTL CAR

• Flight duty period (FDP): from the time you report until the aircraft is on blocks after the last landing.
• Duty period: can run at most 1 hour beyond the maximum FDP, for post-flight duties (6.2).
• Night duty: any duty that overlaps 00:00–06:00 in the acclimatised time zone (3.11).
• Window of circadian low (WOCL): 02:00–06:00 in the acclimatised time zone (3.25).
• Local night: 8 hours between 22:00 and 08:00 local time (3.10).
• Acclimatised: you are acclimatised to a 3-hour band around the local time where you start. Go further than 3 hours away and the departure time zone still counts for the first 48 hours.

What is the maximum FDP and flight time for two pilots? (6.1)

1–2 landings: FDP 13:00, flight time 9:00 (6.1.2)
3, 4, 5, 6 landings: FDP 12:30, 12:00, 11:30, 11:00, flight time 8:00 (6.1.1)
night duty: FDP 10:00, flight time 8:00, 2 landings (6.1.4)
latest end of FDP = report time + max FDP
max duty period = max FDP + 1:00

The FDP limit covers the whole duty from report; the flight time limit covers block time across all sectors. You must stay inside both. If your logbook or roster uses decimal hours, the decimal flight time calculator converts block times so you can add them up against these limits.

When does a duty count as night duty?

A duty is a night duty if any part of it overlaps 00:00–06:00 in the time zone you are acclimatised to (3.11). It does not matter whether you report in the evening and run past midnight or report before 06:00 in the morning.

• Within the acclimatised time zone (6.1.4): FDP 10:00, flight time 8:00, 2 landings. Cargo-only flights may make 4 landings, followed by 24 hours of rest including a local night, plus 2 hours.
• Beyond the acclimatised time zone (6.1.3): FDP 13:00, flight time 10:00, 1 landing.

An evening report gives you a choice. Either finish by midnight and keep the day limit, or go into the night and take the night limit. Whichever gives more time is the one you can plan to, provided the landings fit. A night duty allows only 2 landings (4 for cargo-only), so a 3-sector evening rotation (not cargo-only) has to finish by 00:00.

How do augmented crews work? (7.1)

With 3 or 4 pilots, crew take turns to rest in flight, so the FDP depends on the in-flight rest facility.

• In-flight rest (7.2.2): at least 90 consecutive minutes for each pilot, and 2 hours for the pilot doing the landing.
• WOCL reduction (note to 7.1): an FDP that starts in the WOCL (02:00–06:00) is cut by the full encroachment, up to 2 hours. An FDP that ends in or covers the WOCL is cut by half of the encroachment.

starts in WOCL: max FDP = table value − time inside 02:00–06:00 (at most 2:00)
ends in or covers WOCL: max FDP + ½ × time inside the WOCL ≤ table value

Worked examples

Example 1: an evening two-sector duty

Two pilots report at 18:30 IST for 2 landings and 4:30 of flying. Paragraph 6.1.2 allows 13:00, but 18:30 + 13:00 = 07:30 the next morning, which runs into 00:00–06:00. Staying clear of the night means finishing by 00:00, which allows only 5:30. As a night duty within the acclimatised time zone (6.1.4) the crew gets 10:00, which is more, so the latest end of the FDP is 18:30 + 10:00 = 04:30 IST (2300Z). The duty period can run to 10:00 + 1:00 = 11:00. Flight time 4:30 is within 8:00 (3:30 spare) and 2 landings is within the limit of 2. Rest after is the longer of 10:00 and 12:00, so 12:00, and the earliest next report is 16:30 IST the next day.

Example 2: three sectors from a 21:00 report

Two pilots report at 21:00 IST for 3 landings and 5:00 of flying. The day limit for 3 landings is 12:30 (6.1.1), which would run to 09:30 and cross the night. The night limit allows only 2 landings, so the night row does not fit. To keep the day rules, the duty must end by 00:00: 24:00 − 21:00 = 3:00. A 5:00 flying programme cannot fit, so this pairing needs to drop a sector or report earlier.

For comparison, report at 07:00 for 4 landings and 7:30 of flying: 6.1.1 gives 12:00 with 8:00 of flight time, so the FDP must end by 19:00, with 0:30 of flight time spare.

Example 3: four pilots and the WOCL

Four pilots with a bunk report at 10:00 IST for one sector. Paragraph 7.1 allows 18:00, which would end at 04:00, two hours into the WOCL. Half of that would be a 1:00 cut, but a shorter duty also sits less deep in the WOCL, so the limit is the longest FDP where FDP + half the WOCL time fits in 18:00. At 17:20 the duty ends at 03:20, 1:20 inside the WOCL: 17:20 + 0:40 = 18:00. The cut is 0:40 and the latest end is 03:20 IST. The flight time limit is 14:00 and the duty touches 00:00–06:00, so it counts as a night duty.

Report at 03:00 instead and the duty starts in the WOCL, with 3:00 of it left. The cut is capped at 2:00, so the limit is 18:00 − 2:00 = 16:00, ending at 19:00.

How much rest do pilots need before a duty? (10)

• Rest before an FDP is the longest of: the preceding duty, 12 hours, 18 hours after crossing more than 3 and up to 7 time zones, or 36 hours after more than 7.
• Rest before other, non-flight duties is 10 hours; after standby it is 12 hours.
• A preceding duty of more than 18 hours needs rest that includes a local night.
• Back at home base after crossing time zones: 36 hours including 2 local nights (more than 3, up to 7 zones) or 72 hours including 3 local nights (more than 7).
• Airport transport of more than 30 minutes each way extends the rest by twice the excess.

For example, after a 10-hour duty with a 50-minute drive to the hotel, the base rest is 12:00. The drive is 20 minutes over the free 30, so add 2 × 0:20 = 0:40: minimum rest 12:40. After a 13-hour duty, the duty is longer than 12 hours, so rest is 13:00.

What are the weekly rest and consecutive night rules?

• Weekly rest (10.6): 48 consecutive hours including 2 local nights, with no more than 168 hours between weekly rests. If you did more than 3 night-encroaching duties in the preceding 168 hours, it rises to 60 hours, still including 2 local nights.
• Consecutive nights (13): at most 2 night duties in a row, except once in any 168 hours. After such a run, at least 24 hours of rest including a local night, plus 2 hours.

What are the DGCA cumulative limits? (8)

Count the duty you are planning too. If you have flown 30 hours in the last 7 days, a 7:30 day takes you to 37.5 hours, 2.5 hours over the 35-hour limit, even though the single duty is legal on its own.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting that one minute after midnight makes it a night duty. Any overlap with 00:00–06:00 counts, and the night limit is 10:00 with 2 landings.
• Taking the night limit with too many landings. Three or more sectors (five or more for cargo-only) cannot use 6.1.4, so the duty must end by midnight.
• Mixing up FDP and flight time. The FDP runs from report to on-blocks; flight time is block time only. Both have limits.
• Treating the duty period as the FDP. The extra hour (6.2) is for post-flight duties, not more flying.
• Using 12 hours of rest after a long duty. Rest must be at least as long as the duty before it, and more after crossing time zones.
• Ignoring the airport drive. Transport over 30 minutes each way adds twice the excess to your rest.
• Assuming the CAR numbers are your airline's numbers. Your operator's approved scheme, including any relaxation DGCA has granted, is what you fly to.

What if a roster looks over the limits?

1. Check the duty with the DGCA FDTL calculator and note the paragraph it flags.
2. Compare it with your operator's approved FDTL scheme in the operations manual. A relaxation may apply to your operator.
3. Raise it with crew scheduling or your fleet office before the duty, in writing if you can.
4. If you are too tired to fly safely, say so and follow your operator's fatigue reporting procedure.

Quick summary

• Two pilots: FDP 13:00 with 1–2 landings (9:00 flight time), down to 11:00 with 6 landings (8:00 flight time).
• Night duty is any duty touching 00:00–06:00: FDP 10:00, flight time 8:00, 2 landings (4 cargo-only).
• Duty period = max FDP + 1:00.
• Augmented crews: 14:00 to 21:00 depending on crew and rest facility, with WOCL cuts.
• Rest: the longest of the previous duty, 12 hours, or 18 or 36 hours after crossing time zones.
• Weekly rest 48 hours including 2 local nights (60 hours after more than 3 night duties); at most 2 night duties in a row.
• Cumulative: 35 h flight time and 60 h duty in 7 days, up to 1,000 h and 1,800 h in a year.

Flying under other rules? Compare with FAA Part 117 explained, EASA flight duty limits explained or the EASA flight duty period calculator.

Rules checked against DGCA CAR Section 7, Series J, Part III, Issue III, Rev 1 (8 January 2024) and Rev 2 (26 March 2024), as used by our calculators (checked 11 October 2026).

This guide explains the rules in plain English for planning. It is not legal, financial or flight-operations advice; check your contract, the official source linked above, your employer or your operator.