Date: 202012
Location: ZZZZ.Airport, FO
Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Fatigue; Workload
Anomaly: No Specific Anomaly Occurred Unwanted Situation
Contributing factors: Procedure; Staffing; Human Factors; Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related
Primary problem: Company Policy

Narrative: I am writing this because I'm concerned about the safety of the ZZZ - ZZZZ - Chengdu Airport - ZZZZ - ZZZ pairing.  Starting on date; it was changed from a 4 person crew to a 3 person crew. This is NOT SAFE. I understand why [it] changed is because the duty time went from XX:25 to XX:20 and so only 3 pilots are required.  I've flown this trip X times and it's challenging with 4 pilots let alone 3 pilots.  The primary purpose of this report is to identify this [pairing] as a safety event. My goal is to provide a corrective measure that will mitigate a safety issue; before it becomes a Incident/AccidentTHREAT: Personal Fatigue.  This trip is on the back side of the body clock with a late night pick up out of ZZZZ. This trip becomes close to a XX hour duty day because of the 1:10 ride from downtown [city] to the airport and back.  The flight from ZZZZ is often 2 hours longer than the flight coming back from Chengdu due to the Jet stream.  Often; because of this jet stream; there is moderate turbulence along the route; making sleeping in the bunk difficult.  The Captain must be in his seat for the take-off and landings for both legs.  With a three pilot crew; it is difficult coming up with a plan for breaks; especially on the shorter Chengdu - ZZZZ segment. The relief Pilot will hardly get a break; besides being upset for not getting a break; they will be very tired. The relief pilot is one of the most important people in the crew; and you want them alert. They often see threats before the flying pilots do; and can bring the threat to their attention.THREAT: Environmental.  Often there is low visibility in Chengdu and ZZZZ this time of year; increasing the work load. There is a X:10 break in Chengdu which is a very busy time for the pilots. We have to flight plan; pre-flight (with full suit) deal with the Chengdu police and customs. With the boarding of cargo (very noisy and moves the plane around a lot with loading of cargo containers) it is impossible to get any rest while on the ground.THREAT: Technical.  Chinese airlines are almost back to normal; leaving Chengdu is a very busy time for ATC. I have flown with new pilots that haven't flown China and between operating in meters and the difficulty with the Chinese ATC language it is impossible; and irresponsible leaving the flight deck out of FL180 to go on break. Because of this; it isn't until reaching cruise altitude until the Captain can start his break.  Meters can be challenging and causes a lot of missed ATC calls; or repeats. The 4th pilot is a huge benefit for listening to ATC and providing back up!I've flown this trip X times now; having 2 Captains and 2 FO's was by far the safest. It gave everyone a break and each Captain had a leg which helped mitigate stress; and fatigue.  With one Captain and 3 FO's it is not nearly as safe as 2 Captains; but it is bearable because you get more of a break. With one Captain and 2 FO's it is impossible to get a break; of good rest.Another thing the company needs to think about; this is China during COVID times.  The company realizes the difficulty of a layover in China for the crews. The duty time with 3 crews is reduced to XX hours. There can only be a X:10 delay in Chengdu before an extension takes place. After doing this trip X times I know for a fact that the likelihood of me extending is nil; due to fatigue.The mitigation is simple. Make it a 4 person crew.




Synopsis: Air carrier Captain reported that the flight crew count on a trip pairing had been reduced and cited multiple issues associated with the reduction.