DGCA Revises Flight Duty Rules to Address IndiGo's Massive Flight Cancellation Crisis

New Delhi:

India's aviation regulator DGCA has immediately withdrawn a key provision of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules that stated 'no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest' to address the operational crisis affecting IndiGo, India's largest airline.

The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation announced Friday that "due to ongoing operational disruptions and requests from various airlines regarding operational continuity and stability, it has become necessary to review this provision."

Additionally, the DGCA granted an exemption for night-time flights until February 10, requiring the airline to undergo reviews every 15 days and submit a 30-day roadmap demonstrating "full compliance" with regulations.

The revised FDTL regulations now allow airlines to count earned leave periods as weekly rest when scheduling pilots and flight crew. For example, a pilot granted 48 hours of earned leave will now be considered as having received their mandatory 'weekly' rest.

This represents the second and third adjustments to FDTL norms within 24 hours; the previous night, authorities extended the maximum consecutive pilot flight hours from 12 to 14.

IndiGo's operations—comprising over 2,200 daily domestic and international flights—have faced severe disruptions over the past four days due to pilot and flight crew shortages.

IndiGo acknowledged on Wednesday that it had miscalculated the number of pilots required under the new FDTL regulations, which also mandate increased rest periods from 36 to 48 hours within a seven-day period.

Thursday witnessed approximately 550 flight cancellations—the highest ever in a single day for the 20-year-old airline known for its punctuality—across numerous airports, including Delhi.

The regulatory changes were implemented in two phases: the first on July 1 and the second on November 1.

The combined effect left IndiGo without sufficient pilots to operate hundreds of flights, as many pilots previously scheduled were no longer permitted to fly under the new rules.

Nearly 1,300 flights have been canceled to date, with IndiGo warning passengers to expect continued disruptions until at least December 8.

The severity of IndiGo's miscalculation became evident Friday morning when Delhi airport canceled all of the airline's outbound flights until midnight. Adding to the confusion, DGCA sources told NDTV that flights had only been canceled until 3 pm, highlighting the chaotic situation.

Domestic IndiGo flights from Chennai to major cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Hyderabad have also been suspended until 6 pm due to "operational reasons."

Friday evening, IndiGo issued another apology to customers via X (formerly Twitter): "We do deeply apologise and understand how difficult the past few days have been for many of you. While this will not get resolved overnight, we assure you that we will do everything in our capacity to help you..."

The airline added, "Today should be the day with highest number of cancellations, as we are doing all that is necessary to reboot all our systems and schedules for progressive improvement starting tomorrow."

The crisis has significantly impacted IndiGo's market value, with Interglobe Aviation Ltd, the airline's holding company, seeing shares fall from Rs 5,883 to Rs 5,415 by 2 pm when markets opened.

Meanwhile, the DGCA has reached out to pilots' associations requesting cooperation in "maintaining stable and smooth flight operations" considering multiple challenging factors, including IndiGo's situation, fog season, peak holiday travel, and the wedding season.