IndiGo flights delayed nationwide by new pilot rostering rules, leaves

IndiGo’s operations were thrown into turmoil on Wednesday as flights were delayed by hours and schedules at major hubs including Bengaluru and Mumbai were disrupted due to a growing pilot shortage and rising demands for crew leave.

The disruption comes just weeks after stricter flight duty and rest norms came into full force on November 1.

“Numerous unforeseen operational challenges, including minor technology glitches, schedule changes associated with the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system and implementation of updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations) have created an adverse compound impact on our operations that is impossible to predict,” IndiGo said in a statement on Wednesday evening. he said.

India’s largest airline did not share the number of flight cancellations or delays or the number of flights The pilots were on leave, but in its statement it said its network had been affected “for the last two days”, adding that calibrated adjustments had been made and normalization was expected within the next 48 hours.

In a separate statement, the aviation regulator, directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA), said it was currently investigating the situation and considering measures with the airline to reduce cancellations and delays to minimize inconvenience to passengers.

“Indigo has been asked to report to Headquarters DGCA to present the facts leading to the current situation and plans to mitigate ongoing delays and cancellations,” the regulator said in a statement.

As of fiscal 2025 (FY25), IndiGo has 5,456 pilots and is India’s largest pool. Data from the company’s annual report showed.

The new flight duty time limitations (FDTL) norms introduced by the regulator are designed to prevent pilots from fatigue by regulating flight and duty hours in the name of flight safety.

Recent revisions include weekly rest periods extended from 36 hours to 48 hours, a redefined night duty period from 0000-0500 hours to 0000-0600 hours, and stricter limits on cumulative flight hours and night landings.

Additionally, a maximum of two landings are now allowed in night operations. Fatigue reporting by operators (airlines) is required to be done quarterly; This means IndiGo will need more pilots.

The new rules for pilots have hit IndiGo the hardest due to its wide reach. According to analysts at Anand Rathi, IndiGo operates on around 600 of around 1,000 domestic routes. closest rival The Air India group, comprising two airlines, operates more than 300 routes, including both domestic and international.

An estimated 87% of the country’s population is within 100 km of an airport served by IndiGo, resulting in two-thirds of IndiGo’s connectivity capacity to non-metro cities, the brokerage wrote in an Oct. 27 note.

IndiGo is yet to respond to specific queries Mint. Air India executives said it was not canceled due to the airline’s crew list. The airline has not yet responded to official inquiries Mint. Other airlines such as Akasa and SpiceJet did not see any major cancellations.

Data obtained from DGCA showed that IndiGo had 1,232 flight cancellations in November, of which 755 were due to crew and FDTL norms.

Cost Impact

IndiGo’s chief financial officer, Gaurav Negi, in his post-earnings results statement on November 4, said that the new crew rostering norms will increase the airline’s costs, which will affect profitability. The idea was that this would lead to higher pilot hiring costs.

Negi said the company “anticipates a slight increase in costs given the new Phase 2 being implemented.” …there will be some increased cost”.

According to Mark D. Martin, CEO of Martin Consulting and aviation security expert, Phase 1 was implemented starting July 1 and Phase 2 was implemented starting November 1.

Martin said there will be some short-term cost impacts for IndiGo under the new norms, but implementation dates have been announced in advance. The whole idea was to reduce passenger inconvenience and provide time for airlines to adopt the changes.

“There was sufficient time to assess the situation and make adjustments; there was no need to disrupt the flight network,” Martin said. “This is poor planning. While there is a cost angle to these additional hires, the reality is that IndiGo had time to adjust its crew roster and make new hires.”

Captain Shakti Lumba, an aviation expert and a former employee of IndiGo, also agreed: The airline should have taken steps to increase the number of pilots.

“Why hasn’t IndiGo hired more pilots if the new crew list rules will affect them?” he said. “Air India’s fleet has been downsized and Akasa has additional pilots on flights. Considering IndiGo’s size, it should have had backup ready.”