IndiGo assures DGCA of zero flight cancellations after Feb 10 with full FDTL compliance

IndiGo has informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that it will not cancel any flights after February 10, 2026, when it begins full implementation of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules. The airline said it now has enough pilots to operate its approved flight network smoothly.

Earlier, on December 6, the DGCA had temporarily relaxed some FDTL rules for IndiGo until February 10, after the airline faced major operational disruptions in early December. At that time, IndiGo had to cancel 4,290 flights between December 1 and 9 because it did not have enough pilots to comply with the new duty time rules, which were introduced to improve crew rest and reduce fatigue.

At a meeting held on Monday, IndiGo assured the DGCA that it now has adequate crew strength. The airline said it would need 2,280 captains by February 10 and currently has 2,400. Similarly, it requires 2,050 first officers and has 2,240 on its rolls. Based on this, the airline committed to maintaining operational stability and avoiding flight cancellations once the full FDTL norms come into effect.

The DGCA confirmed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying IndiGo has assured smooth operations after February 10, 2026, based on its current network, available crew strength, and the removal of the two temporary exemptions granted in December.

The revised FDTL rules entered their second and final phase in November 2025. These rules tightened limits on how long pilots can fly or remain on duty, especially during the early morning hours between 2 am and 6 am when fatigue risk is highest. Under the new rules, any duty overlapping between midnight and 6 am is considered “night duty.” During such duties, pilots can fly a maximum of eight hours, remain on duty for no more than 10 hours including pre- and post-flight work, and are generally limited to two landings.

The DGCA said that continuous regulatory monitoring and corrective actions taken by IndiGo have helped stabilise operations and improve service reliability. The regulator added that it will continue to closely watch the airline’s operations, especially in areas such as crew scheduling, availability of reserve staff, system reliability, and compliance with FDTL rules.

According to the DGCA, IndiGo’s operational problems in early December were caused by poor crew management, insufficient backup arrangements, and weaknesses in systems and operational control. These issues made it difficult for the airline to implement the revised FDTL rules smoothly.

To help stabilise the situation, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, along with the DGCA, allowed temporary operational relaxations and deployed inspectors and passenger assistance teams at IndiGo’s Operations Control Centre and major airports from December 6 to 30. During this period, IndiGo was required to submit regular reports, daily, weekly, and fortnightly on flight cancellations, crew availability, use of standby staff, pilot strength, training and hiring plans, fleet availability, and its corrective action plan to ensure long-term stability and full compliance with the new duty time rules.