New Delhi, March 27 -- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday (March 26) lifted the June 1 deadline for implementing the new pilot rest norms.

The flight duty time limitation, or FDTL, norms guaranteed sufficient rest for pilots, minimising the risk of untoward incidents. The new FDTL norms, issued in January, increased pilot rest time.

The regulator on Tuesday said airlines can continue to comply with the old FDTL norms, issued in 2019, "till approval of their respective scheme in compliance with this CAR (civil aviation requirement)".

Last month, the Federation of Indian Airlines - which comprises IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, and SpiceJet - had written a letter to the regulator asking it to defer the June 1 deadli...