IndiGo’s Crisis Forces Govt Rule Rollback, But It Is Not Over Yet
Government intervention may bring short-term relief, but IndiGo’s operational collapse signals deeper structural, staffing and planning failures that demand accountability.
The Gist
Government Steps In to Address IndiGo's Crisis
The DGCA has temporarily relaxed regulations to help IndiGo manage its staffing issues and flight cancellations.
- Exemptions allow pilots to work longer hours at night, alleviating some operational pressures.
- IndiGo is under scrutiny for failing to prepare for regulatory changes affecting crew availability.
- The situation is expected to improve, but full recovery hinges on addressing deeper structural problems.
After three consecutive days of widespread cancellations and delays, operations at IndiGo, India’s largest airline, continued to be unstable through the fourth day, with frustrated passengers stranded at airports across India. On Friday, over 1000 flights were cancelled.
IndiGo cancelled all departures from Delhi until midnight on Friday, after hours of erratic flight schedules and staffing gaps. In certain sectors, thanks to IndiGo’s cancellations, flight tickets became as expensive as Rs 1 lakh.
Aviation analyst Mark Martin said the situation on the ground went beyond crew shortages.
“I know passengers in Delhi whose flights were suddenly cancelled with no support. Pilots weren’t available — that happens — but even the check-in and ground staff didn’t show up. Where were they? Why wasn't the airport staffed? That’s not a shortage, that’s a system breakdown,” Martin told The Core.
Regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) convened on Thursday to assess the disruption and determine next steps for restoring operations.
The Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) framework is a regulatory system that sets the maximum number of hours a pilot or cabin crew member can work, including flight time, standby, and rest requirements. Its purpose is to prevent fatigue and ensure safety, especially during night operations or consecutive duty days.
However, aviation experts—including pilot associations and pilots—say IndiGo had nearly two years to prepare and failed to scale hiring, upgrade first officers to captain positions, or adjust schedules to comply. So what’s next for the airline?
Government Steps In, Rules Relaxed
Following mounting cancellations and operational paralysis, the DGCA held a meeting with pilot associations mid-afternoon on December 5. A key decision was taken: temporary relaxation of the newly implemented FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) Phase-II rules — the very regulation IndiGo cited as a trigger for its staffing crisis.
Complementing FDTL is the Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS)—a data-driven safety mechanism that allows airlines to monitor operational fatigue through scientific modelling, reporting tools, and risk mitigation processes. While FDTL provides strict, rule-based limits, FRMS offers flexibility but requires evidence-based fatigue tracking and compliance auditing.
IndiGo’s challenge stemmed from the rollout of Phase-II FDTL norms, which tightened night duty limits and restricted schedules spilling into late-night periods. The airline argued that the new rules reduced crew availability and disrupted rostering, especially during peak winter operations.
An IndiGo pilot, on condition of anonymity, said the decision came after escalating pressure. “The Minister of Civil Aviation called all the pilot bodies. He said they were left with no choice but to take action to restore normalcy”.
According to the pilot, the ministry also assured unions that their concerns would be investigated.
“He assured us that our inputs and allegations will be taken seriously, including how IndiGo precipitated this situation, why only IndiGo was affected, and why the airline didn’t plan for the rule change,” the pilot added.
Under the temporary exception, IndiGo is exempt from two specific rules — night duty time limits (Para 3.11) and operations that spill into night duty (Para 6.1.4).
These exemptions mean IndiGo can now schedule pilots to fly longer hours at night and continue flying even if their duty stretches past the time normally considered as night duty.
Under the new fatigue rule, pilots were supposed to have stricter limits on how long they could work late at night because fatigue is higher during those hours. If a flight went beyond that limit, for example, a late evening flight that got delayed and continued past midnight, the schedule would normally have to be cancelled or reassigned.
By suspending the two rules, the government has given the airline more flexibility to make its existing pilots work longer hours, without cancelling or reassigning flights.
The DGCA noted in its internal findings that:
- IndiGo failed to anticipate the impact of fatigue rules
- Crew planning was poorly executed
- Disruptions directly resulted from rostering failure
The exemption is not permanent. It will be reviewed every 15 days and will remain in force only until 10 February 2026.
Despite agreeing to cooperate, the pilot made clear the compromise was not a sign of resolution.
“We have agreed—not because our grievances are resolved—but because of the suffering passengers are going through,” the pilot said.
When Will Normalcy Return?
While government intervention may stabilise schedules in the coming days, experts say full recovery is unlikely until IndiGo fixes deeper structural issues.
A spokesperson from the Federation of Indian Pilots said IndiGo holds the cards now.
“This entire situation has been created by IndiGo, for IndiGo. What happens next really depends on them. Tomorrow morning, they could simply say, ‘Okay, everything is normal now,’” the spokesperson said.
IndiGo has repeatedly claimed that crew shortages and operational issues led to the flight cancellations, but the full truth is still unclear.
The experts have warned that this behaviour will cost IndiGo big time and could now face a reputation crisis.
“After what happened, Indian passengers are not going to forget this. People were stranded — not because of weather or technical issues, but because of operational decisions. That has damaged IndiGo’s credibility significantly,” Martin said.
Hiring, Salaries and Culture: The Next Battle
To sustain operations under temporary rule relief, IndiGo must address its staffing shortage — beginning with recruitment.
“They will now have no choice but to begin hiring again,” the IndiGo pilot said.
IndiGo recently emailed external captains and senior first officers, indicating recruitment would resume.
“It was essentially a freeze — but that freeze has now been lifted, which clearly indicates a shift in their position,” he added.
Beyond hiring, IndiGo may need to improve work culture to prevent further attrition — especially after several employees reportedly skipped duties to attend international airline recruitment drives.
