All necessary arrangements in place to comply with FDTL norms: IndiGo tells DGCA

New Delhi: IndiGo, which faced regulatory action following massive operational disruptions in December, has told aviation watchdog DGCA that all necessary operational, rostering, and monitoring arrangements are being put in place to ensure full compliance with the revised pilot duty norms. With the temporary exemption for the airline on the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms ending on Tuesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday issued a statement detailing the progress and assurance provided by the airline. Over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, along with deficiencies in system software support and shortcomings in management structure and operational control at IndiGo were among the key reasons that led to the disruptions, following which the watchdog had also curtailed the carrier's winter schedule flights by 10 per cent.

Against the backdrop of IndiGo cancelling 2,507 flights between December 3 and 5, the DGCA approved the airline's request for certain relaxations in implementing the revised FDTL norms till February 10. According to the DGCA statement on Wednesday, IndiGo has informed that it shall be fully prepared to comply with the statutory provisions and to implement the approved FDTL scheme dated October 9, 2025 upon expiry of the exemptions. IndiGo has further stated that all necessary operational, rostering, and monitoring arrangements are being put in place to ensure full compliance with the approved FDTL scheme with effect from February 11, 2026, it said. The FDTL exemptions pertained to night duty time for pilots and night landings. DGCA said the two exemptions, for stabilising flight operations, were granted subject to specified conditions, submission of hourly flight operations data and weekly/fortnightly reports on operational performance. The airline, which saw its domestic market share slump to 59.6 per cent in December from 63.6 per cent in November, operates around 2,200 flights daily. In the statement, DGCA noted that during the validity of the exemptions, the airline's flight operations were monitored closely through periodic review meetings and the regulator's officers were deployed at various airports to oversee passenger handling and address passenger inconvenience.

Also, Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) were positioned at IndiGo's Operations Control Centre for real-time monitoring of flight operations, ensuring continuous regulatory oversight during the exemption period, it added. On January 20, DGCA said sustained regulatory oversight as well as corrective measures have helped stabilise operations at IndiGo, and the airline now has an adequate number of pilots to ensure compliance with the new flight duty norms without disruptions. Citing the airline's submissions, the watchdog had said there were 2,400 Pilots in Command (PICs) as against the requirement for 2,280, and the number of First Officers was 2,240 compared to the requirement for 2,050. On Tuesday, an IndiGo spokesperson said that as assured to the regulatory authorities earlier, the airline is maintaining an optimum pool of employees, including pilots, to ensure stable operations across its network. In the wake of the massive disruptions in December, DGCA curtailed the airline's winter schedule services by 10 per cent and after an investigation, imposed penalties totalling Rs 22.20 crore and also directed it to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore to ensure compliance with directives and long-term systemic corrective measures. Besides, the watchdog has issued warnings to IndiGo's senior management for deficiencies in oversight, planning and implementation of revised FDTL norms, directed the removal of the concerned SVP from operational responsibilities, and instructed the airline to take further action and submit a compliance report.