IndiGo assures stable operations after FDTL relaxations conclude

IndiGo has an adequate pool of pilots and staff to ensure stable operations as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) temporary relaxation of pilot duty norms for the airline comes to an end.

The country’s largest airline, which faced severe operational disruptions in early December, was on Tuesday found by the regulator to have suffered from over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, deficiencies in system software support, and shortcomings in management structure and operational control. Following the disruptions, the DGCA curtailed IndiGo’s winter schedule by 10 per cent.

Against the backdrop of the airline cancelling 2,507 flights between December 3 and 5, the DGCA approved IndiGo’s request for certain relaxations in implementing the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms till February 10.

IndiGo currently operates around 2,200 flights daily. However, the airline’s domestic market share fell to 59.6 per cent in December from 63.6 per cent in November amid the disruptions.

On January 20, the DGCA said sustained regulatory oversight and corrective measures had helped stabilise operations at IndiGo, and that the airline now has an adequate number of pilots to comply with the revised flight duty norms without further disruptions.

Citing IndiGo’s submissions, the regulator said the airline had 2,400 Pilots in Command (PICs) against a requirement of 2,280, while the number of First Officers stood at 2,240 compared to the required 2,050.

An airline spokesperson said that the new rules have already been integrated into crew rosters and planning.

“As assured to the regulatory authorities earlier, we are maintaining an optimum pool of employees, including pilots, to ensure stable operations across our network,,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

On Monday, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha that IndiGo was granted a temporary exemption from the “provisions of Clauses 3.11 and 6.1.4 of FDTL CAR 7/J/III ...up to 10.02.2026 solely to support operational stabilisation in view of public interest”.

The clauses relate to night duty time for pilots and flight landings during night hours.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), however, has underlined the need for full implementation of the revised FDTL norms to address pilot fatigue concerns.

“The importance of FDTL cannot be over emphasised and all regulatory bodies strictly follow these rules in the interest of pax safety. The growing aviation sector in the country must ensure safety through total implementation of rules and increased oversight of the air operators. Air safety should always be non-negotiable,,” FIP President C S Randhawa said in a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha on Sunday.

Randhawa told PTI that IndiGo began cancelling flights from December 2, with disruptions continuing till December 11, but the DGCA probe panel primarily examined cancellations between December 3 and 5. He said this aspect should also be reviewed.

According to the DGCA, between December 3 and 5, a total of 2,507 flights were cancelled and 1,852 flights were delayed, impacting more than three lakh passengers at airports across the country.

Following the investigation, the regulator cut IndiGo’s winter schedule services by 10 per cent, imposed penalties totalling Rs 22.20 crore, and directed the airline to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore to ensure compliance with directives and long-term systemic corrective measures.

The DGCA also issued warnings to IndiGo’s senior management for deficiencies in oversight, planning and implementation of the revised FDTL norms, ordered the removal of the concerned senior vice president from operational responsibilities, and directed the airline to take further action and submit a compliance report.