IndiGo says it ‘misjudged’ new crew rules, assures full stability by 10 February
IndiGo has admitted to the aviation regulator that it had “misjudged” the operational impact of India’s new flight duty time limits (FDTL) norms after close to 200 flights per day were canceled in the last few days due to acute pilot and crew shortage, among other factors.
According to a statement made by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday, the airline informed the regulator that planning gaps contributed to the ongoing disruptions and committed to implementing corrective measures, aiming to achieve full operational stability by February 10, 2026.
By then, India’s largest airline had also sought exemption from certain provisions of the FDTL norms aimed at overhauling duty schedules, night landing plans and weekly rest schedules.
Meanwhile, IndiGo will also reduce the number of daily flights from December 8 to minimize disruption. DGCA said the airline has been averaging 170-200 cancellations per day since the end of November, which is well above normal levels.
The development follows unruly and chaotic scenes at airports across the country on Thursday, where IndiGo struggled to manage angry passengers at the airports. Protests broke out at terminals and fistfights were reported in Kolkata, leading to CISF intervention in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
The turbulence comes after weeks of increasing disruption. Since November 1, following the implementation of the second phase of the new FDTL norms, IndiGo has canceled more than 1,550 flights, including 1,232 in November; Of these, 755 were due to crew shortages in the revised crew listing rule.
Cancellations and delays severely damaged on-time performance (OTP). India’s most punctual airline, with an OTP of more than 87% by the end of October, saw its rate in this metric drop to 67.7% in November, 35% on Tuesday (December 2) and 19.7% on Wednesday, according to the civil aviation ministry. This means one in five of the carrier’s flights arrive at their destination on time.
OTP measures the percentage of flights that depart or arrive 15 minutes after the scheduled time.
No comments about IndiGo mint questionnaire.
The airline’s shares closed down 2.8 percent ₹5,437.6 on Wednesday despite BSE Sensex ended marginally 0.2% higher.
hard times
For now, IndiGo is struggling to get its operations back in order, as its CEO has asked employees to work together to help the airline overcome arguably its biggest operational challenge.
“We have faced difficult moments before, but we have proven our resilience, strength and unity by turning challenges into victories,” said IndiGo Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Pieter Elbers said in a message to employees on Thursday. “This moment will be no different… This is the time for all of us to come together, prove our mettle once again and show what IndiGo truly stands for.”
IndiGo attributed its operational collapse to various factors, including newly implemented FTDL norms, minor technical glitches and weather conditions. New crew list scheduling norms have been seen as the key reason why airlines have taken a hit in operations.
According to the company’s FY25 annual report, the total pilot roster was 5,456. Most of any airline in India.
As the airline’s chief financial officer, adding more pilots would require additional costs. Gaurav Negi said in a post-earnings call on November 4. He said “there will be some increased cost” associated with implementing the new crew list planning norms.
The impact of such cancellations on the company’s quarterly performance will depend on how long the disruptions last, said an analyst who requested anonymity. “Overall, cancellations would have a 6-7% impact on revenue if they continued for the entire quarter,” this analyst said.
According to Mark D. Martin, CEO of Martin Consulting, airlines need to revise their “lean manpower strategy” to comply with FDTL norms. “There will be an impact on costs and that will increase. The exact amount has not yet been determined.”
