DGCA Grants "One Time Exemption" to IndiGo From FDTL Rules as Cancellations Surge

Key Points

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Saturday, 6 December 2025, allowed IndiGo temporary relief from parts of the recently implemented Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules after the airline suffered a wave of cancellations that peaked this week.

The DGCA said the exemptions are a “one-time exemption” to stabilise operations and must not be construed as a dilution of safety requirements. The relief applies to the carrier’s Airbus A320 fleet and will remain in force tile 10 February 2025, subject to fortnightly review.

The disruption has been wide and acute. IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights on 5 December 2025 alone. The airline, which controls around 60% of the Indian aviation industry, operates over 2,300 flights a day on a fleet of over 400 aircrafts. According to pilot unions, IndiGo’s business model is mainly centred on minimum manpower and late-night flights, making it uniquely exposed to crew shortages and scheduling shocks. In public statements, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers apologised to travellers and said the carrier expects progressive improvements with complete normalisation by 10 December 2025.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said the government had ordered an inquiry into the disruption to ascertain what went wrong, determine accountability and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence. The DGCA has also constituted a four-member panel to conduct a comprehensive review and submit findings within 15 days.

The ministry announced passenger-centric measures including automatic refunds for cancelled flights, hotel accommodation for stranded travellers, priority assistance for senior citizens and differently abled passengers, and a 24×7 control room to monitor the situation.

Why the Meltdown Happened

IndiGo told the DGCA that the primary cause was misjudgement and planning gaps in implementing the second phase of the FDTL rules. The new FDTL rules, notified in May 2024, outlined a longer weekly rest period for pilots, a shorted night-shift definition, a limit on consecutive shifts and night landings, and regulations for weekly fatigue reports and roster drafting. The rules were designed to address pilot fatigue and align domestic practice with international safety standards.

Rollout of the rules, initially set for June 2024 but deferred due to pushback from airlines, took place over 2 Phases – the first in July 2025, which notified longer weekly rest periods, and the second in November 2025. Key changes introduced in FDTL Phase 2 included expanding the definition of night hours and reducing permissible night landings to two from six.

While IndiGo managed to adapt to the first phase of changes, the second phase – in effect for a little over month – has left the airline scrambling.

Under the new norms, IndiGo calculated that it needs 2,422 captains and 2,153 first officers for its A320 fleet to maintain stable operations. The carrier currently has 2,357 captains and 2,194 first officers for that fleet, leaving a shortfall that it said contributed to cancellations. The airline conceded it had underestimated crew requirements and accepted responsibility for shortcomings in crew planning and rostering.

See Also: More Than 100 Indigo Flight Cancellations Disrupts Air Travel, Long Delays Enrage Passengers; DGCA Seeks Probe Into The Issue

Exceptions and Conditions Imposed by the DGCA

On 5 December 2025, the DGCA issued a notification rolling back a condition of the FDTL rules which said that “no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest.” In a follow-up notice, it stated that IndiGo, specifically, would be provided relief from the new night-shit timings and night duty regulations.

Among the specific relaxations, the DGCA has redefined night hours for IndiGo as midnight to 5 am rather than midnight to 6 am. Pilots operating in that period will be allowed up to six night landings, a figure aligned with previous practice, instead of the new cap of two. The regulator has also withdrawn a clause that barred substitution of other leaves against the mandatory weekly 48-hour rest, and it has temporarily released 12 flight operations inspectors from the regulator’s roster to assist IndiGo with flying duties and simulator checks.

The exemption will be monitored closely. IndiGo must submit fortnightly progress reports on crew utilisation, measures to increase crew availability, operational improvements, and revised rostering. Within 30 days the airline must present a roadmap for full compliance with FDTL norms. The DGCA stressed it may withdraw the exemption at any time in the interest of safety.

Later that day, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) published a notice by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) saying that the FDTL rules “have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect. Without compromising on air safety, this decision has been taken solely in the interest of passengers, especially senior citizens, students, patients, and others who rely on timely air travel for essential needs.”

Reaction from Pilots and Industry

Pilot associations criticised the selective exemptions, saying they undermined the spirit of the fatigue-mitigation rules and could compromise safety. The Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA) expressed “profound concern” about dispensations to a single operator and pointed to alleged hiring freezes, non-poaching agreements and pay restraints that left IndiGo short-staffed despite a two-year preparatory window for FDTL implementation.

“FDTL norms exist solely to safeguard human life, and any dilution of these limits would expose pilots, passengers, and aircraft to unacceptable risks,” the union said in a letter to the DGCA. “All operators had almost two years to implement the new FDTL, and that too in two phases. Even with this ample time, IndiGo failed to organise its roster and instead increased its operations for Winter 2025 which was approved by your office.”

“These events raise serious concerns that an artificial crisis was engineered to exert pressure on the government for commercial gain under the pretext of "public inconvenience,” the letter added.

Passenger Impact and Broader Consequences

IndiGo’s disruption has had immediate consumer effects, with thousands stranded and airfares on competing carriers rising amid heightened demand. Airports reported large crowds and operational pressures as the airline progressively cut short-term schedules in a bid to reboot systems. The ministry said steps taken would prioritise passenger care while the inquiry seeks to identify lessons and assign accountability.

But the government’s response raises more questions. Why was the airline given an exemption and not fined? Can laws be relaxed for the convenience of private companies? Is public safety not as important as corporate profits? And why did the regulatory authority allow such a situation to arise in the first place? [Rh]

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