EASA Flight Time Limitations and Crew Duty
EASA flight time limitations (FTL) under Part-ORO: duty and flight duty periods, maximum FDP and minimum rest, fatigue management, and flight and cabin crew.
Dionysis Kefalas14 min readFor Air Ops staff
Part 4 of 6 in EASA Air Operations Show parts
Quotes checked on against EASA Easy Access Rules for Air Operations (Regulation (EU) No 965/2012) — 27 Mar 2026 revision.
On this page
Why the limits exist
ExampleAir publishes a roster. One line names an acclimatised crew member, a report time, and a sector count. The basic cap on that line, if no extension is used, is one cell in a table.
Subpart FTL states its own scope.
This Subpart establishes the requirements to be met by an air operator and its flight and cabin crew (aircrew) members with regard to flight and duty time limitations and rest requirements for aircrew assigned to commercial air transport (CAT) operations with aeroplanes.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, 27 Mar 2026 revision.
The cover regulation says which operations are subject to that subpart, and which are taken out of it.
1.CAT operations with aeroplanes and helicopters shall be subject to the requirements of Subpart FTL of Annex III.
2.By way of derogation from paragraph 1, air taxi, emergency medical service and single pilot CAT operations by aeroplanes shall be subject to the requirements specified in the national law referred to in Article 8(4) of Regulation (EEC) No 3922/91 and in Subpart Q of Annex III to that Regulation.
3.By way of derogation from paragraph 1, CAT operations with helicopters and CAT operations with sailplanes shall comply with the requirements specified in the national law of the Member State in which the operator has its principal place of business.
[…]
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, 27 Mar 2026 revision.
Use ORO.FTL.100 for the subpart's own scope, and Article 8(1) for the cover-regulation statement. Before you apply Table 2 to an air taxi, emergency medical service or single pilot CAT operation by aeroplane, or to CAT with helicopters or sailplanes, read the derogations in paragraphs 2 and 3. This page does not quote the national law or Subpart Q those paragraphs name.
The words the limits use
The definitions below name duty, the duty period, the flight duty period, a rest period, and the window of circadian low.
(10)‘duty’ means any task that a crew member performs for the operator, including flight duty, administrative work, giving or receiving training and checking, positioning, and some elements of standby;
(11)‘duty period’ means a period which starts when a crew member is required by an operator to report for or to commence a duty and ends when that person is free of all duties, including post-flight duty;
(12)‘flight duty period ('FDP')’ means a period that commences when a crew member is required to report for duty, which includes a sector or a series of sectors, and finishes when the aircraft finally comes to rest and the engines are shut down, at the end of the last sector on which the crew member acts as an operating crew member;
[…]
(21)‘rest period’ means a continuous, uninterrupted and defined period of time, following duty or prior to duty, during which a crew member is free of all duties, standby and reserve.
[…]
(28)‘window of circadian low ('WOCL') means the period between 02:00 and 05:59 hours in the time zone to which a crew member is acclimatised.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, 27 Mar 2026 revision.
Duty in (10) is wider than flying. The flight duty period in (12) is the clock the daily cap uses. The rest period in (21) is the gap between duties. The 02:00–05:59 band in (28) is the window of circadian low; Table 2 does not use that band to change a cell.
The operator carries the responsibility
The roster is the operator's duty, item by item.
An operator shall:
(a)publish duty rosters sufficiently in advance to provide the opportunity for crew members to plan adequate rest;
(b)ensure that flight duty periods are planned in a way that enables crew members to remain sufficiently free from fatigue so that they can operate to a satisfactory level of safety under all circumstances;
(c)specify reporting times that allow sufficient time for ground duties;
(d)take into account the relationship between the frequency and pattern of flight duty periods and rest periods and give consideration to the cumulative effects of undertaking long duty hours combined with minimum rest periods;
(e)allocate duty patterns which avoid practices that cause a serious disruption of an established sleep/work pattern, such as alternating day/night duties;
(f)comply with the provisions concerning disruptive schedules in accordance with ARO.OPS.230;
(g)provide rest periods of sufficient time to enable crew members to overcome the effects of the previous duties and to be rested by the start of the following flight duty period;
(h)plan recurrent extended recovery rest periods and notify crew members sufficiently in advance;
(i)plan flight duties in order to be completed within the allowable flight duty period taking into account the time necessary for pre-flight duties, the sector and turnaround times;
(j)change a schedule and/or crew arrangements if the actual operation exceeds the maximum flight duty period on more than 33% of the flight duties in that schedule during a scheduled seasonal period.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, 27 Mar 2026 revision.
Point (j) is the seasonal check. The figure to watch is more than 33% of the flight duties in that schedule: that is when the schedule or the crewing has to change.
The maximum flight duty period
Table 2 is the basic daily cap for an acclimatised crew when no extension is used. The row is the start of the FDP at reference time. The column is the number of sectors.
[…]
(b)Basic maximum daily FDP.
(1)The maximum daily FDP without the use of extensions for acclimatised crew members shall be in accordance with the following table:
Table 2
Maximum daily FDP — Acclimatised crew members
<table>
<tr>
<td>Start of FDP at reference time</td>
<td>1–2 Sectors</td>
<td>3 Sectors</td>
<td>4 Sectors</td>
<td>5 Sectors</td>
<td>6 Sectors</td>
<td>7 Sectors</td>
<td>8 Sectors</td>
<td>9 Sectors</td>
<td>10 Sectors</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>0600–1329</td>
<td>13:00</td>
<td>12:30</td>
<td>12:00</td>
<td>11:30</td>
<td>11:00</td>
<td>10:30</td>
<td>10:00</td>
<td>09:30</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1330–1359</td>
<td>12:45</td>
<td>12:15</td>
<td>11:45</td>
<td>11:15</td>
<td>10:45</td>
<td>10:15</td>
<td>09:45</td>
<td>09:15</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1400–1429</td>
<td>12:30</td>
<td>12:00</td>
<td>11:30</td>
<td>11:00</td>
<td>10:30</td>
<td>10:00</td>
<td>09:30</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1430–1459</td>
<td>12:15</td>
<td>11:45</td>
<td>11:15</td>
<td>10:45</td>
<td>10:15</td>
<td>09:45</td>
<td>09:15</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1500–1529</td>
<td>12:00</td>
<td>11:30</td>
<td>11:00</td>
<td>10:30</td>
<td>10:00</td>
<td>09:30</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1530–1559</td>
<td>11:45</td>
<td>11:15</td>
<td>10:45</td>
<td>10:15</td>
<td>09:45</td>
<td>09:15</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1600–1629</td>
<td>11:30</td>
<td>11:00</td>
<td>10:30</td>
<td>10:00</td>
<td>09:30</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1630–1659</td>
<td>11:15</td>
<td>10:45</td>
<td>10:15</td>
<td>09:45</td>
<td>09:15</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1700–0459</td>
<td>11:00</td>
<td>10:30</td>
<td>10:00</td>
<td>09:30</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>0500–0514</td>
<td>12:00</td>
<td>11:30</td>
<td>11:00</td>
<td>10:30</td>
<td>10:00</td>
<td>09:30</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>0515–0529</td>
<td>12:15</td>
<td>11:45</td>
<td>11:15</td>
<td>10:45</td>
<td>10:15</td>
<td>09:45</td>
<td>09:15</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>0530–0544</td>
<td>12:30</td>
<td>12:00</td>
<td>11:30</td>
<td>11:00</td>
<td>10:30</td>
<td>10:00</td>
<td>09:30</td>
<td>09:00</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>0545–0559</td>
<td>12:45</td>
<td>12:15</td>
<td>11:45</td>
<td>11:15</td>
<td>10:45</td>
<td>10:15</td>
<td>09:45</td>
<td>09:15</td>
<td>09:00</td>
</tr>
</table>
[…]
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, 27 Mar 2026 revision.
The block above is the library text, tags included. The grid is the same cells:
On the row 0600–1329, the 1–2 Sectors cell is 13:00. The limit for any other start time or sector count is the cell where that row and that column meet. The point does not state a single deduction to apply instead of the cell.
The window of circadian low is the period in ORO.FTL.105(28), quoted above. Table 2 does not say that encroaching that window changes a cell. Later paragraphs of ORO.FTL.205 cover extensions, in-flight rest and commander's discretion. They are not quoted here, and this page does not state their figures.
A roster line is read against the cell for its start time and its sector count.
The rest that follows
Rest before the next FDP is set in ORO.FTL.235.
(a)Minimum rest period at home base.
(1)The minimum rest period provided before undertaking an FDP starting at home base shall be at least as long as the preceding duty period, or 12 hours, whichever is greater.
(2)By way of derogation from point (1), the minimum rest provided under point (b) applies if the operator provides suitable accommodation to the crew member at home base.
(b)Minimum rest period away from home base.
The minimum rest period provided before undertaking an FDP starting away from home base shall be at least as long as the preceding duty period, or 10 hours, whichever is greater. This period shall include an 8-hour sleep opportunity in addition to the time for travelling and physiological needs.
(c)Reduced rest
By derogation from points (a) and (b), flight time specification schemes may reduce the minimum rest periods in accordance with the certification specifications applicable to the type of operation and taking into account the following elements:
(1)the minimum reduced rest period;
(2)the increase of the subsequent rest period; and
(3)the reduction of the FDP following the reduced rest.
(d)Recurrent extended recovery rest periods
Flight time specification schemes shall specify recurrent extended recovery rest periods to compensate for cumulative fatigue. The minimum recurrent extended recovery rest period shall be 36 hours, including 2 local nights, and in any case the time between the end of one recurrent extended recovery rest period and the start of the next extended recovery rest period shall not be more than 168 hours. The recurrent extended recovery rest period shall be increased to 2 local days twice every month.
[…]
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, 27 Mar 2026 revision.
Use (a) for rest before an FDP at home base and (b) for rest before one away from base. The 12-hour and 10-hour figures are those floors, and the 8-hour figure inside (b) is the sleep opportunity, not a third floor. Point (a)(2) is the home-base case where suitable accommodation lets you use the away-from-base floor instead. Point (c) is where a flight time specification scheme may reduce those floors. Point (d) is the longer break for cumulative fatigue: 36 hours is its minimum, 168 hours is the longest gap between breaks, and the twice-monthly increase is to 2 local days.
How many crew, and who they are
Flight time limitations govern how long crew may work. ORO.FC.100 and ORO.CC.100 govern who is on board.
(a)The composition of the flight crew and the number of flight crew members at designated crew stations shall be not less than the minimum specified in the aircraft flight manual or operating limitations prescribed for the aircraft.
(b)The flight crew shall include additional flight crew members when required by the type of operation and shall not be reduced below the number specified in the operations manual.
(c)All flight crew members shall hold a licence and ratings issued or accepted in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 and appropriate to the duties assigned to them.
[…]
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, 27 Mar 2026 revision.
On the flight deck, (a) is the aircraft floor and (b) is the operations-manual floor. The licence in (c) is Commission Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011, covered in the flight crew licence guide.
Cabin crew composition is ORO.CC.100. The conditions in (b), and the non-commercial derogation in (d), belong in the same reading as (a).
(a)For the operation of aircraft with an MOPSC of more than 19, at least one cabin crew member shall be assigned when carrying one or more passenger(s).
(b)For the purpose of complying with point (a), the minimum number of cabin crew members shall be the greatest number amongst the following:
(1)the number of cabin crew members established during the aircraft certification process in accordance with the applicable certification specifications, for the aircraft cabin configuration used by the operator;
(2)if the number under point (1) has not been established, the number of cabin crew members established during the aircraft certification process for the maximum certified passenger seating configuration reduced by 1 for every whole multiple of 50 passenger seats of the aircraft cabin configuration used by the operator falling below the maximum certified seating capacity;
(3)one cabin crew member for every 50, or fraction of 50, passenger seats installed on the same deck of the aircraft to be operated.
[…]
(d)By way of derogation from point (a), non-commercial operations with aircraft with an MOPSC of more than 19 may be performed without an operating cabin crew member, subject to the prior approval by the competent authority. To obtain the approval, the operator shall ensure that all of the following conditions are fulfilled:
(1)there are maximum 19 passengers on board;
(2)the operator has developed procedures for that operation.
Quoted word for word from Regulation (EU) No 965/2012, Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, 27 Mar 2026 revision.
Take the greatest of (b)(1), (b)(2) and (b)(3). The one-per-50 figure in (b)(3) is only one of them, and it counts seats on the same deck. Point (d) is the non-commercial derogation, and it has its own conditions.
Where this connects
Rosters sit inside the operator's operations manual and management system. Specific approvals are the next guide: Part-SPA.
Where to read it yourself
Subpart FTL of Annex III (Part-ORO) is consolidated, with its Acceptable Means of Compliance and Guidance Material, in the EASA Easy Access Rules for Air Operations. Every citation here was checked against the 2026-03-27 revision. Table 2 is the basic maximum for acclimatised crew without extensions. Unknown acclimatisation, extensions, in-flight rest and commander's discretion are later in ORO.FTL.205 and are not quoted on this page.
Educational content, not regulatory compliance advice. Verify against the current regulation text before relying on it.
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Written by Dionysis Kefalas. Retired Hellenic Air Force Captain and founder of Avioverse. About the author
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