Flight Duty Period (FDP)
Flight Duty Period (FDP)
Definition
A period which commences when a flight or cabin crew member is required to report for duty that includes a flight or a series of flights and which finishes when the aircraft finally comes to rest and the engines are shut down at the end of the last flight on which he/she is a crew member.
Source: ICAO Annex 6 - Opearation of aircraft
Description
The flight duty period (FDP) is a period of time during which a crew member performs various tasks and includes at least one flight. In addition to the ones during flights, an FDP includes those performed by the crew member that occur before a flight segment or between flight segments without a required intervening rest period. Examples such tasks include:
- deadhead transportation;
- training conducted in an aircraft or flight simulator;
- airport/standby reserve.
In order to mitigate the risk of fatigue two types of limitations are defined:
- maximum duration of the FDP. This is intended to provide reasonable assurance that the crew member would not experience performance degradation due to fatigue.
- minimum duration of the rest period before an FDP. This is intended to ensure that the crew member starts the next FDP fully rested.
The maximum duration of an FDP is defined in relevant local legislation, e.g. 14 CFR Part 117 in the USA and Regulation 83/2014 in the EU (see Further Reading below for details). While there are some differences between countries, some broad principles are followed:
- Maximum FDP duration is reduced when the number of flight segments is increased
- Maximum FDP duration is reduced when the FDP is expected to include night hours (e.g. starts before 5 a.m. or after 5 p.m.).
- Maximum FDP duration is reduced if the crew member is not acclimatised (i.e. their circadian biological clock is not yet synchronised to the time zone where they currently are)
Related Articles
Further Reading
- 14 CFR Part 117: Flight and duty limitations and rest requirements: flightcrew members
- Regulation 83/2014: Flight time limitations
- Canadian Aviation Regulations PART VII — COMMERCIAL AIR SERVICES, Division III — Flight Crew Member Fatigue Management
- ICAO fatigue management guide for airline operators
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