DGCA bows down, clears IndiGo's request of night duty exemption for pilots

In a quick move to calm the storm of flight cancellations rocking India's skies, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) today approves IndiGo's urgent plea for a break from strict night-duty rules for pilots, giving the airline a three-month window until February 10, 2026, to sort out its crew mess. The chaos, which saw over 400 flights grounded on the same day and on-time performance crashing to just 8.5% the day before, stemmed from poor planning around new pilot duty limits that kicked in on November 1, hitting night operations hard by capping landings to only two per week—down from six before.

IndiGo, which flies over 2,300 trips daily, admitted its own "misjudgement and planning gaps" led to way more crew needs than expected, stranding passengers for days at hubs like Delhi and Bengaluru. The DGCA didn't stop at just the night-duty waiver; it also rolled back a key rule that banned swapping pilot leaves for weekly rest days, now letting airlines use off days to fill gaps and keep fatigue in check. This tweak addresses the beefed-up rest requirements under the updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, which bumped mandatory weekly breaks from 36 to 48 hours to fight tiredness.

As DGCA put it, "In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines... it has been considered necessary to review the said provision." Safety stays front and center, with the agency stressing these short-term fixes won't compromise pilot well-being. For harried travelers and the airline alike, this could mean smoother sails ahead, though experts point fingers at the rushed rollout of the new rules. IndiGo's fleet might finally catch a breath, but the episode shines a light on bigger worries about crew shortages in a booming aviation sector. With Parliament buzzing about the mess and rival airlines jacking up fares, passengers hope for real fixes, not just Band-Aids, to avoid more tears at check-in counters.