Parliament has approved in its first reading a proposal to revise the regulation of working and rest hours for crews of aircraft operating commercial flights.
“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports that amendments to the Labor Code and the Law on Aviation were discussed at today’s plenary session of the Milli Majlis (National Assembly).
The draft law notes that Article 89 of the Labor Code sets normal working hours at no more than eight hours a day and 40 hours a week. Under Article 93 of the Code and Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 106 of Aug. 12, 2003, weekly working hours for flight crews and flight instructors are set at 36 hours. Articles 95-97 stipulate that, where cumulative accounting of working hours is used, daily working time may not exceed 12 hours, or 11 hours when it includes night work. These limits make flights lasting 13-14 hours to New York, Seoul and other long-haul destinations impossible or economically inefficient, weakening their competitiveness. The draft provides for aligning overall working-hour limits with international standards on managing aircraft crew fatigue.
It was noted that international practice, including in the United States and the European Union, uses more flexible limits for flight crew working and rest periods over consecutive periods of seven, 14 or 28 days, or over a calendar year. The same approach will be introduced in Azerbaijan.
Following discussion, the draft was put to a vote and adopted in its first reading.
