In May 2023, Air India introduced new safety management software, Coruson, along with the Boeing Alertness Model (BAM), a fatigue-mitigation tool integrated into its pilot rostering system. Coruson, developed by Ideagen, is designed to centralize, analyze, and report on safety-related data, including incidents, hazards, and risk assessments. BAM, created collaboratively by Boeing and Jeppesen, is tasked with predicting and managing pilot fatigue by analyzing flight schedules and performance data. These tools aim to prevent the creation of fatigue-inducing rosters and pairings, as stated by Air India CEO Campbell Wilson in an internal communication to employees. Additionally, the airline introduced two new digital tools for its crew: the Pilot Sector Report app, which enables pilots to submit post-flight performance, incident, and observation reports, and DocuNet, a digital management system for storing, retrieving, and sharing documents such as flight manuals, training records, and compliance documents.
Despite these advancements, the airline faced penalties from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March for violations related to Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) and fatigue management regulations. Moreover, in May, Air India Express cabin staff staged a mass sick-out in protest against what they termed “mismanagement.” This action mirrored similar protests from the crew, mostly pilots, at Vistara airlines. Both Air India and Vistara are under the Tata Group, which assumed control of Air India from the Indian government in January 2022.
Subsequently, twenty-five of the protesting Air India Express staff were terminated, with others receiving ultimatums. However, after an intervention by the chief labour commissioner, those sacked were reinstated. Earlier, the regional labor commissioner of Delhi had addressed a letter to the Tata Group chairman, highlighting “blatant violations of labour laws” and urging that the legitimate concerns of cabin crew be addressed. A parallel issue was observed at Vistara, where employees protested salary updates that reduced pilot compensation for 40 flight hours from previously 70 hours, leading to a 57 percent pay cut. Vistara management assured pilots that salaries for “extra working hours” would be credited following the merger with Air India.
In response to the protests, Air India pilot unions had communicated to company leadership that these issues were part of broader systemic problems. Fatigue and burnout were significant concerns, with many pilots reporting inadequate rest and extended working hours, exacerbated by operational demands such as quick aircraft swaps and consecutive landings. Captain Singh, a former senior manager at AirAsia, highlighted that these conditions increase accident risks and adversely affect long-term pilot health.
A 2024 “Safety Culture Survey,” conducted by Singh’s Safety Matters Foundation, revealed that 81 percent of 530 respondents, primarily medium- to short-haul pilots, identified bufferless rosters as a factor contributing to their fatigue. Additionally, 84 percent expressed concerns over the pace and direction of shift rotation. A pilot from a private airline noted that new rostering software, designed to maximize pilot working hours, left no breathing room, pushing pilots to their limits and leaving them vulnerable to additional stressors, such as unpredictable weather.
The deployment of wrist-worn fatigue-measuring devices as a solution remains controversial. Furthermore, interest in fatigue-management technology appears to have waned, with no recent updates from IndiGo or the Thales Group regarding the wrist device. Neither company responded to requests for comment.
