IndiGo scrambles to add over 900 pilots as flight-limit rules bite. Experts warn of challenge

InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, which operates IndiGo, detailed the hiring surge in a presentation to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), according to a document reviewed by the company. Mint. The document stated that the airline will hire 300 captains and 600 junior officers over the next 12 months.

“Indigo has a training pool of 250 junior first officers over the next 12 months, IndiGo will recruit/promote 300 captains and 600 junior first officers to meet our medium-term requirements,” the airline wrote in its notification to the DGCA.

According to the document, the availability of captains for IndiGo’s Airbus fleet in December was 2,357 and the number of assistant personnel was 2,194. IndiGo plans to add 25 captains and 35 first officers by the end of December, 28 captains and 35 first officers in January, and 15 captains and 20 first officers by February 10. In total, this will add 68 captains and 90 first officers by then, bringing the total to 2,425 captains and 2,284 chief officers.

An email was sent to IndiGo and Mint The airline will update the story when it responds. According to the airline’s FY25 annual report, it had 5,456 pilots, including first officers and captains.

The February 10 deadline is critical because the aviation regulator has given IndiGo time to fully comply with the new limits on consecutive night operations by then. DGCA had proposed two rules for all airlines. The original regulation, which came into effect on July 1 and extended weekly rest to up to 48 hours and prohibited airlines from replacing various types of leave with weekly rest, has since been reversed.

The second rule, effective Nov. 1, limits pilots to two consecutive flights between midnight and 6 a.m. This applies to all airlines except IndiGo, which is given additional time. The rule increases crew requirements because each pilot can only fly at night for two consecutive nights before mandatory rest.

In its notification to the DGCA, IndiGo said it will cancel 300-400 flights per day from December 5-8 to reset its schedule and stabilize operations. The airline said a revised list for December 10-31 will follow.

Hiring difficulties

Even so, analysts said it would be difficult to ramp up hiring quickly. The airline began looking for new hires following the operational collapse in which it canceled more than 3,600 flights in 35 days from November 1.

Based on pilot strength and fleet size comparisons, Elara Securities estimated that IndiGo may need to hire at least 1,000 pilots to comply with FDTL norms by February.

“However, achieving this goal may be difficult as talent is difficult to poach due to long notice periods (six months for copilots and 12 months for captain),” said Gagan Dixit, senior vice president of oil, gas and aviation at Elara Securities.

Another aviation expert expressed similar concerns. Mark D Martin, CEO of aviation security expert Martin Consulting, said IndiGo had to get these people on board by February 10 and that was “not an easy task”.

He noted that immediate availability with notice periods of at least six months remains a constraint. Hiring foreign pilots also requires at least three months to meet legal permits, he said.

structural deficiencies

According to its latest investor presentation, IndiGo has a fleet of 417 aircraft comprising A320s, ATRs, Boeing jets on lease from Turkish Airlines and cargo planes. Almost 40 A320s are grounded due to engine problems with supplier Pratt & Whitney. The effective flight fleet consists of A320s, single-aisle narrow-body jets, numbering around 325.

These planes “sweat” about 14 hours a day, compared to the standard 8.5 hours. This increases crew requirements: Instead of 14 sets of pilots and co-pilots, IndiGo needs at least 17 sets for its operating levels.

Calculations by Martin Consulting show that with 17 sets and 325 flying A320s, IndiGo’s crew requirement is 5,525. DGCA’s latest presentation showed that the crew count for December was 4,551, a shortfall of 974 pilots.

“Generally, you need seven pilots and seven co-pilots to operate an Airbus 320 (for 8-9 hours of flight). Now if the airline flies more than these 8-9 hours, your pilot requirement will increase,” said C.S. Randawa, President of the Federation of Indian Pilots. Mint.

A. Mint Analysis of winter schedule and pilot numbers announced by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol revealed that IndiGo has 2.5 pilots per departure. This is significantly lower than rivals like Air India at 5.4, Air India Express at 4.7 and Akasa at 5.4. Competitors also use different fleet mixes that vary crew set requirements: Boeing and Airbus for Air India Group, Boeing only for Akasa.

“An IndiGo pilot flies at least 20% more than the industry average. So even if IndiGo goes on a hiring spree, it will not be easy to get so many pilots on board,” Martin said.

In FY24, IndiGo pilots flew more aircraft hours (571 per pilot) than Tata (471) or the industry average excluding IndiGo (453), indicating tighter planning, a note by InCred Equities said.

Pilot salaries account for 60% of IndiGo’s employee costs; A 20% increase could increase total employee costs by 12%, the InCred note said.