IndiGo Crisis: Airline Seeks Extended Exemption From Pilot Duty Rules As Hundreds of Flights Cancelled

IndiGo has announced that additional flight cancellations are expected over the next two to three days as the airline grapples with operational challenges.

New Delhi:

IndiGo has requested exemptions from pilot rest and duty regulations until February 10, 2026, specifically for night duty flights operating its A320 fleet. The carrier has acknowledged underestimating crew requirements under newly implemented norms, leading to planning deficiencies and insufficient crew availability during a period already complicated by winter weather conditions and airport congestion.

Temporarily, the revised definition of night duty has been rolled back from the midnight-6 am timeframe to the previous midnight-5 am period. The limitation on night landings to two has also been temporarily suspended.

The airline cautioned that flight cancellations will likely persist for the next two to three days as part of efforts to stabilize their schedule. Beginning December 8, IndiGo will implement reduced flight operations to minimize further disruptions.

This announcement follows significant operational disruptions by IndiGo that have left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded across airports and resulted in hundreds of cancelled flights over the past three days.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu summoned the airline for a comprehensive situation review, joined by senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and IndiGo's executive leadership. The ministry has stated it is closely monitoring the airline's network following the dramatic surge in cancellations nationwide since late November.

IndiGo attributed the disruptions to transitional challenges in implementing Phase 2 of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) regulations, which became effective November 1 following a court mandate. The airline reported that the actual pilot requirements under FDTL Phase 2 exceeded their projections.

Data presented by IndiGo demonstrated that post-implementation of Phase 2, required staffing levels increased notably, especially for night operations where slot availability is restricted and pilot duty time constraints are more stringent.

The updated regulations, designed to enhance fatigue management and pilot safety, have substantially altered crew scheduling patterns.

According to regulatory authorities, IndiGo has been cancelling between 170 and 200 flights daily, a significant increase above normal operations. The DGCA has issued several directives to IndiGo, including requirements to submit a crew recruitment and aircraft acquisition roadmap, develop a revised plan for operational stabilization, provide fortnightly progress reports on improvements in crew availability and scheduling, and detail all FDTL relaxations needed to restore standard operations.

The aviation regulator confirmed it will maintain real-time monitoring of IndiGo's network performance and passenger-handling capabilities in the upcoming days.

As disruptions intensified, DGCA inspection teams conducted on-site assessments at major airports, including Delhi's Terminal 1, which experienced the highest passenger impact. Inspectors discovered that IndiGo's customer service staff was insufficient to handle the increased number of affected travelers, resulting in overcrowding and delays in providing assistance.

The airline has been instructed to immediately increase staffing levels and enhance support services across all affected terminals.

The Civil Aviation Minister has directed the AAI to ensure all airports provide continuous support to stranded passengers. Additionally, MoCA has instructed the DGCA to monitor airfares closely during this period of disruption to prevent any sudden or unfair price increases.