IndiGo Faces Severe Criticism from Pilots' Federation Over Staffing Strategy Amid Flight Cancellations

IndiGo has attributed the current situation to "a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges."

Mumbai:

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has criticized IndiGo for implementing a "hiring freeze" despite having a two-year preparation window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period regulations for cockpit crew. The pilots' body has urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to withhold approval of airlines' seasonal flight schedules unless they demonstrate adequate staffing to operate services "safely and reliably" under the New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

In a letter sent to the DGCA on Wednesday evening, FIP suggested that the regulator should consider reallocating slots to other airlines capable of operating without disruptions during the peak holiday and fog season if IndiGo continues to "fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages." On December 3, IndiGo cancelled more than 150 flights and experienced significant delays across various airports due to multiple factors, including crew shortages resulting from the implementation of the new FDTL regulations.

According to the Civil Aviation Ministry website, only 19.7 percent of IndiGo flights arrived and departed on time from six major airports on December 3.

FIP emphasized that the recent wave of IndiGo flight cancellations cannot be blamed on the Delhi High Court-mandated FDTL regulations for pilots.

"All other airlines have provisioned pilots adequately and remain largely unaffected due to timely planning and preparation," the organization stated, adding that "the current disruption is the direct consequence of IndiGo's prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in-flight operations."

The pilots' association alleged that "despite the two-year preparatory window before full FDTL implementation, the airline inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, maintained a pilot pay freeze through cartel-like behavior, and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices."

"FIP strongly advocates that the DGCA must approve seasonal flight schedules only after airlines prove they have adequate pilot strength under the new FDTL norms to operate safely and reliably," the pilots' body declared.

Following the first phase implementation of FDTL on July 1, FIP claimed that "IndiGo reduced pilot leave quotas, and after phase 2 on November 1, attempted to buy back pilot leave."

"These measures saw poor response and further damaged pilot and employee morale -- especially in a year when airline executives took home record increments approaching or exceeding 100 percent, while simultaneously blaming pilot migration instead of investing in retention and workplace improvements," FIP stated.

With the arrival of the busy winter fog season -- which naturally requires higher pilot availability -- IndiGo continued to expand its winter schedule "without recruiting or training additional pilots," raising serious questions about operational responsibility, according to the letter.

Following international regulatory standards, India's aviation safety regulator approves two schedules annually -- winter (late October to late March) and summer (late March to late October) for domestic airlines.

The Gurugram-based carrier has received approval for 15,014 flights per week during the current winter schedule, representing an increase of almost 10 percent from the 13,691 flights per week it operated last winter.

The latest FDTL regulations, which include increased weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extended night hours, and limiting night landings to only two (compared to six previously), were initially opposed by domestic carriers, including IndiGo and Tata Group-owned Air India.

However, they were subsequently implemented by the DGCA following Delhi High Court directives, albeit with a delay exceeding one year, in a phased manner, and with certain variations for airlines like IndiGo and Air India.

While the first phase of these FDTL norms became effective in July, the second phase, which reduced night landings from six to two, was implemented from November 1.

The regulations were originally scheduled for implementation from March 2024, but airlines, including IndiGo, requested a gradual implementation, citing additional crew requirements.