EASA FDP Explained

Under EASA rules, your maximum flight duty period (FDP) depends on when you report and how many sectors you fly, not on how tired you feel. This covers ORO.FTL.205 and why crew track it from the roster instead of guessing.

What EASA calls a flight duty period

FDP starts at report time and ends when the aircraft parks after the last sector, or when you're released from duty, whichever your operator's scheme defines. It includes ground duties, deadhead, and all flight sectors on that duty. It does not include post-flight rest once you're officially off.

ORO.FTL.205. The table that matters

EASA ORO.FTL.205 sets maximum FDP by local report time and sector count. More sectors generally mean a shorter allowed FDP. Early-morning reports and late-night reports have different limits. The table is banded by clock time at your reporting location.

Operators must stay within these caps unless using an approved extension with extra rest. You cannot agree individually to exceed legal limits.

How max FDP is calculated

Step 1: take report time in local time. Step 2: count planned sectors (1-10 in the standard table). Step 3: look up max FDP minutes. Step 4: compare to actual or planned duty length from roster.

Example: a 06:00 report with two sectors might allow a longer FDP than a 06:00 report with four sectors. The table steps down as sectors increase.

Extensions and commander's discretion

Extensions exist under strict conditions, extra rest before or after, fatigue risk assessment, and regulatory limits on how often. Commander's discretion is not a blanket override; it's a documented exception with rest consequences. Crew should know their operator's OM-A rules, not just the app estimate.

FDP vs duty time vs block time

Block time is wheels-up to wheels-down. Duty time may include ground training or standby at the airport. FDP is the regulatory envelope for flying duties. Rosters that only show block hours won't tell you if you're near an FDP limit. You need report-to-release.

Why roster import beats manual tracking

Spreadsheets break when ops changes your report time at 05:00. Layvr reads report time and sector count from your imported roster and applies the EASA FDP table automatically, so you see risk before you reach the crew room. EASA FDP tracker

UK and EU crew

UK CAA retained EASA-derived FTL for many operators post-Brexit with minor amendments. Always follow your airline's published scheme, this article explains the framework, not your employer's OM-A.

Broader context: flight duty period rules | roster import