Regulator DGCA eases flight duty norms for pilots amid IndiGo crisis

It allows substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period; more than 400 flights across airports cancelled on Friday

Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday eased the flight duty norms by allowing substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period, amid massive operational disruptions at IndiGo.

This came as more than 400 flights across airports were cancelled on Friday.

As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, "no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest", which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately. The clause was part of efforts to address fatigue issues among the pilots.

Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the DGCA had decided to withdraw the provision 'no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest' from the FDTL norms.

"In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, it has been considered necessary to review the said provision," the DGCA said in a communication dated December 5.

The gaps in planning ahead of the implementation of the revised FDTL, the second phase of which came into force from November 1, have resulted in crew shortage at IndiGo and is one of the key reasons for the current disruptions.

All IndiGo flights departing from the Delhi airport were cancelled for Friday, while flights from the Chennai airport were stopped until 6 pm.

Earlier, the DGCA had said that the airline had requested for exemptions from specific FDTL provisions for A320 operations up to February 10, 2026.

On Thursday, over 550 IndiGo flights were cancelled across several airports as operational disruptions continued for the third straight day, PTI reported.

Of the total flights cancelled, 172 were at the Delhi, 118 flight cancellations at the Mumbai airport, 100 at Bengaluru, 75 at Hyderabad, 35 at Kolkata, 26 at Chennai, and 11 at Goa.

The airline usually operates about 2,300 flights a day. On Wednesday, it recorded an on-time performance of 19.7 per cent, a massive decline from 35 per cent reported on Tuesday.

The DGCA held a meeting with senior IndiGo officials on Thursday to discuss the situation as well as the mitigation plans. CEO Pieter Elbers told the staff that normalising operations and bringing back punctuality would not be an "easy target".