IndiGo Promises Disruption-Free Flights as Stricter Pilot Duty Norms Kick In

Almost two months after the operational fiasco, IndiGo has now said that it has enough staff to keep its operations running smoothly. The airline also confirmed that it is fully following the updated Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules, which were a major reason behind the flight disruptions it faced in December 2025, news agency PTI reported.

This comes after Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) temporary relaxation given to IndiGo on pilot duty rules ended yesterday (February 10).

Point to note: DGCA had granted IndiGo a one-time exemption from some of the new FDTL rules for its Airbus A320 pilots. This was meant to help the airline manage operations after it struggled to adjust to stricter pilot rest requirements.

Following the meltdown, the aviation regulator had also instructed the airline to trim its winter schedule by 10%, while later on, IndiGo was imposed with a record penalty of ₹22.2 crore.

IndiGo's non-compliance with the FDTL rules, which came into effect on November 1, led to a shortage of available pilots. As a result, the airline cancelled around 4,500 flights in just the first week of December.

To avoid a repeat of that situation, IndiGo has now changed its flight schedule and crew planning to comply fully with the stricter rules. The aviation regulator, DGCA, monitored this transition and expects little to no disruption going forward.

It is important to note that the rules give pilots more mandatory rest time, reduce the number of night flying hours, and ensure they get at least 48 hours of rest every week.

Earlier, the temporary relaxation allowed IndiGo to change the definition of “night” flying. Instead of midnight to 6 am, it was considered midnight to 5 am. This gave the airline an extra hour of flexibility during early morning operations, when it runs many flights.

Under the new rules, pilots are allowed only two night landings. But during the exemption period, IndiGo was allowed to go back to the earlier limit of six night landings, easing pressure on its night-heavy schedule. The rule that made 48 hours of weekly rest mandatory, without allowing it to be adjusted with other leave, was also temporarily relaxed for the airline.

Meanwhile, pilot unions had strongly criticised these relaxations. They argued that IndiGo should not have been given special treatment for failing to prepare properly. Other airlines, which had spent months getting ready for the new rules, were reportedly unhappy and claimed the move gave IndiGo an unfair advantage. Some reports also claimed tht the airline allegedly allowed the situation to worsen to push the regulator into easing the norms.

Point to note: IndiGo had earlier revised the allowances paid to its pilots, with higher payments for layovers, night flying and operational disruptions. The allowances had come into effect from January 1, and applied to both Captains and First Officers. The revised structure was seen as an attempt to ease pressure on cockpit crew and stabilise operations, according to an internal report accessed by Reuters.

Notably, last week, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had aslo ordered a formal investigation into IndiGo over the mass flight cancellations which had stranded thousands of passengers in multiple airports. In its order, CCI has said that IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights, cutting out a big chunk of the airline seats available at a time when many people were trying to travel.

Since IndiGo holds a very large share of the domestic market (about 60%), the regulator said this could have reduced options for passengers and pushed up ticket prices, effectively creating an "artificial scarcity" of seats. The regulator also noted that the airline's dominance meant that when it pulled back flights, passengers had limited alternatives and were sometimes forced to pay much more for later flights.

Meanwhile, the company's net profit declined by 77.55% to ₹549.80 crore during the third quarter of the financial year 2025–26 (FY26). IndiGo said that it took a hit of ₹969.3 crore from operational disruptions and ₹577.2 crore from other issues, including the DGCA penalty.