IndiGo on Tuesday said it has an adequate pool of staff, including pilots, to ensure smooth and stable operations as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) temporary relaxations on pilot duty norms come to an end. The statement comes after the airline faced widespread flight disruptions in early December, which prompted regulatory action and closer oversight.India’s largest airline had sought temporary relief from the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms after cancelling a large number of flights. IndiGo cancelled 2,507 flights between December 3 and 5, while 1,852 flights were delayed, affecting more than three lakh passengers across airports nationwide. The disruptions led the aviation regulator to cut the airline’s winter schedule by 10 per cent.IndiGo currently operates around 2,200 flights daily. However, its domestic market share slipped to 59.6 per cent in December from 63.6 per cent in November, reflecting the impact of the operational issues.
DGCA findings and temporary exemptions
Following the disruptions, the DGCA identified several factors behind the chaos, including over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, shortcomings in system software support, and weaknesses in management structure and operational control.In response, the watchdog approved IndiGo’s request for temporary relaxations in implementing the revised FDTL norms until February 10 to help stabilise operations.On January 20, the DGCA said sustained regulatory oversight and corrective steps had helped bring operations back on track. Citing the airline’s submissions, the regulator said IndiGo now has sufficient pilots to comply with the new duty norms without further disruption. As per news agency PTI, IndiGo reported having 2,400 Pilots in Command against a requirement of 2,280, and 2,240 First Officers compared to a requirement of 2,050.
Airline response and government view
An IndiGo spokesperson said the airline has already incorporated the revised rules into its 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, reported PTI.Meanwhile, minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha on Monday that IndiGo was granted a temporary exemption from specific provisions of the FDTL norms up to February 10, 2026, “solely to support operational stabilisation in view of public interest,” as per PTI.These clauses relate to pilots’ night duty time and night-time landings.
Pilot body raises safety concerns
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has raised concerns over granting exemptions from the revised FDTL norms, stressing that full implementation is essential to address pilot fatigue and ensure passenger safety. “Air safety should always be non-negotiable,” FIP President C S Randhawa said in a letter to the civil aviation secretary, reported PTI.Randhawa also said that IndiGo began cancelling flights from December 2 and continued till December 11, but the DGCA probe mainly examined cancellations between December 3 and 5. He said this wider period should also be reviewed.
Penalties and corrective measures
After its investigation, the DGCA imposed penalties totalling Rs 22.20 crore on IndiGo and asked the airline to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore to ensure compliance with directives and long-term corrective measures.The regulator also issued warnings to senior management for lapses in oversight and planning, directed the removal of a senior vice president from operational responsibilities, and sought a detailed compliance report from the airline.
