IndiGo to follow revised pilot duty norms: DGCA

CIvil air power regulator board of directors superior general of civic air power (DGCA) on Wednesday said that IndiGo has informed them to put in place all necessary operational, rostering, and monitoring arrangements to ensure full compliance with the approved Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) scheme with effect from today.“IndiGo Airlines has informed DGCA that it shall be fully prepared to comply with the statutory provisions and to implement the approved FDTL scheme dated 09.10.2025 upon expiry of the exemptions,” a statement from the DGCA read.IndiGo had cancelled at least 5,500 flights in the first week of December last year terming it to be a result of various issues including the chaos seen across major cities across the country, to a “multitude of unforeseen operational challenges,” including minor tech glitches, winter schedule changes, congestion, and weather and crew unavailability due to the new FDTL rules that were implemented from November 1, 2025.Also Read: Pilots’ body moves Delhi HC against DGCA’s FDTL exemptionsAs many as IndiGo 2,507 flights got cancelled while 1,852 were delayed between December 3 and 5 itself.The regulator was hence forced to grant one time temporary exemption from obeying a few clauses from the new FDTL which kicked in from November.The regulator on Wednesday said that it had granted a waiver to the airline “vide approval dated 05 December 2025 for a limited period only valid up to 10 February 2026 with a view to stabilising flight operations and safeguarding passenger safety and interest.”The new FDTL rules mandate substantially tighter limits on pilot working hours and rest periods. Weekly rest has been increased from 36 to 48 continuous hours, including two full nights at the crew member’s home base. The definition of night duty is expanded from midnight - 5am to midnight- 6am, and airlines can now assign pilots to only two consecutive night duties instead of an unlimited number.Night landings were capped at two per week, down from six previously. Monthly flight time was reduced from 125 hours to 100 hours in 28 days.The DGCA said two exemptions were granted subject to specified conditions, inter alia, submission of hourly flight operations data to DGCA and weekly/fortnightly reports on operational performance.“During the validity of the exemptions, IndiGo Airlines flight operations were monitored closely through periodic review meetings with DGCA,” the regulator stated.“DGCA officers were deployed at various airports to oversee passenger handling and address passenger inconvenience. In addition, Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) were positioned at IndiGo Airlines Operations Control Centre for real-time monitoring of flight operations, ensuring continuous regulatory oversight during the exemption period,” the DGCA said.DGCA had however fined the airline for massive disruption in December.The fine was imposed of ₹22 crore for over a month after the airline regulator constituted a four-member committee to probe widespread disruption between December 3-5.