India’s largest airline, IndiGo, is grappling with widespread flight disruptions due to new pilot duty time limit (FDTL) norms implemented recently, resulting in hundreds of cancellations and delays across major airports.
IndiGo new rules trigger chaos
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) introduced stricter safety regulations, including extended weekly rest for flight crew, an expanded definition of night duty, reduced night landings to twice per roster from six, and caps on flight duty periods. These changes have led to acute crew shortages for IndiGo, causing an estimated 250-300 flight cancellations over two days, with 62 at Bengaluru airport alone and over 175 on the third day. Passengers faced chaos, with angry outbursts at counters amid technical glitches and tight rosters leaving little downtime.
IndiGo’s response and apology
IndiGo issued a sincere apology for the disruptions affecting thousands and announced calibrated schedule adjustments to stabilize operations over the next 48 hours. The airline described the measures as necessary to comply with the norms while minimizing further impact. Shares fell 3.4% on the news, down 6% for the week.
Broader context of growth challenges
Despite the setback, IndiGo continues international expansion, planning long-haul growth with damp-leased 787s to Europe and a firm order for 30 additional Airbus A350-900s, totaling 60 for global routes. Recent financials showed Q3 profit of ₹2,449 crore amid revenue growth, though Q2 saw losses from forex impacts. The crisis highlights tensions between rapid scaling and regulatory tightening in India’s aviation sector.
