The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has urged all pilot groups in the country to help stabilise flight operations as major disruptions caused by IndiGo continue to affect airports nationwide.

The DGCA warned that bad weather, holiday traffic, and the upcoming wedding season could make delays even worse if airlines and pilots do not work together.

In a letter to pilot associations, the DGCA asked for “coordination and cooperation” so cancellations can be reduced and passengers face less inconvenience. The regulator said its main focus is to keep flying safe while ensuring smooth operations during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

The appeal came just hours after ALPA India, a pilots’ union, strongly criticised the DGCA for giving what it called “selective and unsafe” relaxations to IndiGo under the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules. ALPA said these special permissions allowed IndiGo to schedule pilots with less rest, increasing fatigue and making flying riskier. “Safety norms should not change from airline to airline based on commercial needs,” the union said.

Under growing pressure, the DGCA has now reversed an important part of the new FDTL rules. Earlier, the regulator had said that airlines cannot count pilot leave as weekly rest, which reduced crew availability. This rule affected many airlines but hit IndiGo particularly hard. The DGCA has now withdrawn this rule with immediate effect, saying the change was necessary to help stabilise operations.

The disagreement between the DGCA and pilot unions comes as IndiGo struggles through its third straight day of heavy disruptions. More than 1000 flights were cancelled on Friday, causing massive delays at major airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. Long queues, packed terminals, and passengers rushing to rebook flights were seen throughout the day.

The main reason behind IndiGo’s large-scale cancellations is a shortage of pilots as the revised FDTL rules came into effect. Since IndiGo carries more than 60% of India’s domestic passengers, the impact of its disruptions has spread across the entire aviation network, leaving thousands of travellers stranded.

The DGCA said it will continue monitoring the situation closely and work with all stakeholders to restore normal operations as soon as possible.

IndiGo has informed its employees that it is working on a “structured recovery plan” to restore normal operations as quickly as possible. In an internal email, IndiGo said it has “temporarily unpublished” crew rosters across its network to reorganise scheduling and manage staff availability more effectively. This move is part of the airline’s strategy to reduce cancellations and bring operations back to normal.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said it has issued two urgent orders for all airlines, especially IndiGo, to help bring quick stability to flight schedules and reduce passenger inconvenience. The ministry added that it is closely monitoring the situation through a 24×7 control room, reviewing operations in real time.

Officials said that despite the widespread disruptions, flight operations are expected to begin stabilising by midnight tonight, with full restoration likely over the next couple of days.