First Saudi woman delivers evening news bulletin

Agencies

September 23, 2018

Riyadh, Sept 23: A woman from Saudi Arabia has created history by becoming the first female to deliver an evening news bulletin on television.

Weam Al Dakheel, appearing alongside anchor Omar Al Nashwan, presented the news bulletin on the state-owned Saudi TV Channel 1, Khaleej Times reported.

"Jumanah AlShami was the first women to present morning newscasts in 2016. Today history repeats itself as #WeamAlDakheel becomes the presenter of the main nightly newscast, setting a precedent in a historic first for Saudi TV 1," Saudi TV said on its official Twitter channel.

This comes as a part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 reform programme, which aims to diversify the kingdom's economy away from oil and relax strict rules on gender restrictions.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman initiated the lifting of a number of restrictions since last year, particularly the ones on women, in a bid to open up the conservative kingdom country.

Earlier this month, Riyadh-based carrier Flynas had announced that it would be recruiting Saudi women as co-pilots and flight attendants for the first time.

In June, the Saudi government had lifted a longstanding ban on women driving. Prior to this, the kingdom country was the only nation where females were barred from getting behind the wheel of a car.

In March, Saudi Arabia had organised its first-ever women's run, marking a historical moment for its women in the local sports sector. More than 1,500 women had participated in the event.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

India’s Tougher Pilot Fatigue Rules: Why IndiGo’s Operations Crashed Into Turbulence

News Network

December 6,2025

New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

Comments