Indigo Airlines Crisis

Civil Aviation is a subject of the Union List. The Union Government does make laws related to civil aviation. States have no role in civil aviation law making. The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation oversees Civil Aviation in India. Shri K. Rammohan Naidu of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) serves as the Union Civil Aviation Minister while Shri Murlidhar Mohol is the Minister of State for Civil Aviation. The Civil Aviation Ministry regulates airways, aircraft, air navigation, aerodromes provisions, air traffic organisation and aeronautical education and training (including oversight of such training by states and other agencies). The safety of airport operations is ensured by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

About Indigo

● Indigo was founded in 2005 by Rahul Bhatia of InterGlobe Enterprises and Rakesh Gangwal, a former airline executive with a vision for affordable, reliable low cost flights in India’s growing aviation market.

● Indigo’s inaugural flight operated on August 4, 2006 from New Delhi to Imphal via a stop in Guwahati.

● According to Official Airline Guide (OAG) data 2022, Indigo was ranked as 15th most punctual airline globally with 83.51% OTP(On-Time Performance).

● Indigo is the largest airline in India, holding over 65% domestic market share by passengers carried, fleet size and seat capacity.

Indigo’s Ongoing Crisis

● Indigo has recently faced widespread flight cancellations and delays due to an acute shortage of crew triggered by new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules.

● The FDTL norms, introduced to improve pilot and crew safety by limiting duty hours and increasing rest, came into full effect in the month of November 2025 and significantly reduced crew availability. IndiGo, known for its high frequency and late night flights was hit hardest among domestic carriers because of its intense utilization of pilots and aircraft.

● IndiGo’s extensive network and business model of maximizing aircraft and crew usage left very little buffer for adjustments. The airline operates the highest number of daily flights, especially during night and early morning hours, segments most affected by the stricter rest requirements.

● When crew members hit their legal flying limits, IndiGo must find replacements quickly. Due to minimal spare staff and intense utilization, small delays quickly snowball into bigger disruptions, cascading into multiple cancellations and further crew shortages. IndiGo’s punctuality fell from 84.1% in October to under 20% by early December 2025.

● Besides the FDTL norms, IndiGo attributed disruptions to winter schedule adjustments, adverse weather, technology glitches and rising air traffic congestion. Together, these intensified existing crew shortages and delayed ground operations.

● Recovery Steps and DGCA’s Role: IndiGo has begun corrective actions, including strengthening crew rostering aligned with FDTL norms, improving coordination with air traffic control and airports and speeding up turnaround times. The DGCA granted temporary relaxations such as easing night landing restrictions and allowing contract based inspectors to oversee operations.

● Pilot bodies criticized IndiGo for poor preparedness despite knowing the new FDTL rules in advance, hiring freeze, pilot pay freeze and lean manpower strategies as causes for the crisis. The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) also opposed some DGCA relaxations, arguing that relaxing fatigue mitigation rules compromises safety.

Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) Norms

● FDTL norms are safety regulations issued by the DGCA that aim to reduce pilot fatigue, a significant factor in aviation accidents worldwide.

● In 2007 DGCA issued a Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) on crew fatigue but due to airline objections the Ministry of Civil Aviation placed it in abeyance in May 2008. The DGCA adopted a phased implementation strategy adopted for gradual adjustment.

● Phase I was introduced in July 2024 with minimal operational impact. Phase II, implemented on November 1, 2025. It introduced more stringent requirements that fundamentally altered crew scheduling mathematics. The Phase II norms introduced four major changes:

Weekly Rest Period is increased from 3G to 48 continuous hours, reducing pilot duty availability by 15 to 20% weekly.

Night Operations Window is extended from 00:00-05:00 to 00:00-0G:00, including early morning departures in restricted hours.

Night Landings Limitations are reduced from G to 2 night landings per roster, decreasing pilot availability for overnight operations by GG%.

Consecutive Night Duties are limited to maximum 2 consecutive nights to avoid overuse of pilots on overnight shifts.

About Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

● The DGCA is the chief regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It is responsible for overseeing air safety, licensing and compliance with international standards.

● It was originally set up in 1978 as an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It became a statutory body under the Aircraft (Amendment) Act, 2020.

● The DGCA is headquartered in New Delhi.

● It coordinates all regulatory functions with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which is a United Nations specialised agency.

● India is the 3rd largest domestic aviation market after the US and China and supports more than 7.7 million jobs.