When planning airline crew, the regulatory flight and duty time limits (FTLs) are implemented as hard ’rules’ that the crew planning processes need to comply with. If you think of it, these FTLs are really just simplified fatigue models, which for the most part assume that more work necessarily results in higher fatigue risk. Even after being updated in recent FRM-work done in many regions, they remain quite misaligned with the scientific position of performance variability, especially regarding work during night. This misalignment, in combination with airlines striving for high crew efficiency, may sometimes results in higher fatigue risk than necessary, not lower.
Increasingly, regulators are adopting the intent of ICAO, allowing individual operators to improve upon flight safety, while maintaining efficiency. This by granting greater ’operational flexibility’ (chapter 1.1 in the FRMS Implementation Guide) using alternative rules, when an equivalent level of safety can be demonstrated. But how can operators do so in a practical, systematic manner based on established science? Take a look at this paper from Jeppesen describing the methodology for 'dusting off' the rusty rules, improving the alignment with human physiology.
At Jeppesen we have the tools and the expertise to assist you identifying suitable rule relaxations. Drop us an email here if you are interested exploring this further.