Air India, IndiGo Lobby DGCA to Ease Draft Cabin Crew Fatigue Regulations

A body representing India’s leading airlines, including IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, has urged the government to ease proposed new fatigue management rules for cabin crew, warning that the changes could disrupt flight operations and slow the sector’s growth, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has raised concerns over draft rules issued in October 2025, that aim to improve safety and working conditions for flight attendants. The proposed norms suggest increasing the minimum weekly rest period for cabin crew from 36 hours to 48 hours, tightening limits on night flying, and ensuring that each crew member gets a separate hotel room during layovers to improve rest quality.

While single-room accommodation is common among many global airlines, it is not mandatory under international aviation rules and can significantly increase costs. In its letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the FIA reportedly argued that making single-room stays compulsory could create logistical problems at several airports due to limited hotel availability. This, it said, may force airlines to house crew members in far-off or less suitable locations.

The rules are designed to "enhance safety of operations," especially as concerns around aviation safety have grown following last year's Air India crash that killed 260 people. Although the cause of the crash is yet to be determined, pilot mental health and fatigue have come under greater scrutiny.

However, the FIA has cautioned that the proposed measures go beyond global standards—for example, classifying ultra-long-haul flights as those over 14 hours instead of 16 hours.

The airline body warned that the cumulative impact of the changes could complicate crew scheduling, reduce roster flexibility, and "severely" affect the long-term expansion and global competitiveness of Indian airlines.

The lobbying effort comes at a challenging time for the industry. IndiGo recently cancelled around 4,500 flights in December due to issues related to implementing new pilot FDTL norms.

Notably, there is currently no fixed timeline for the rollout of the new cabin crew rules. According to Reuters, the FIA has asked the DGCA for changes to stricter night-time limits, such as caps on landings, so they better align with fatigue science, and has suggested that the new rules be introduced gradually instead of all at once.