India’s largest airline, IndiGo, is planning to use smartwatches to assess the fatigue levels of its pilots. They also intend to hire a consultant to enhance their fatigue risk management procedures. This information was revealed in an internal memo obtained by Reuters.
The memo says that pilots can volunteer to try a tool from Thales that helps with fatigue management. The data collected from these trials will be looked at without knowing who the pilots are. The memo was sent to all the pilots by Ashim Mittra, who’s in charge of flight operations at IndiGo.
Mittra says in the memo that having an expert at IndiGo will help make a strong system to manage fatigue in the next few months. It will also let the airline make plans to reduce fatigue for their pilots.
India’s aviation regulator is looking at data about pilot fatigue that it got from surprise checks and watching airlines. They wanna see if they need to change the rules about how long pilots can work or how tired they can be.
IndiGo has been working with Thales to make this tool. It uses real-time data, old information, and predictions. It’s more advanced than the old way of making schedules, according to the memo.
Mittra also says that these trials won’t replace the current system for managing pilot fatigue. Pilots will still have to say if they are tired based on how they feel.
