Pilot groups have alleged that IndiGo’s failure to adequately prepare for the rollout of new flight duty and rest norms for cockpit crew, despite a two-year lead time, is at the core of the large-scale disruption that resulted in cancellation of hundreds of flights for the past few days.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) said the airline “inexplicably” adopted a “hiring freeze,” resulting in an avoidable manpower crunch. The body has urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) not to approve airlines’ seasonal schedules unless they have sufficient staff to operate services “safely and reliably” under the New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.
What did ALPA India say?
The Airlines Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has also questioned the management of Indian carriers and regulatory oversight following widespread disruptions attributed to an alleged pilot shortage. “The situation concerning the recent flight cancellations across India allegedly attributed to pilot shortage due to new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms, raises significant questions about the airline’s management, regulatory oversight by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and market fairness,” ALPA India said in a statement.
The association noted that resource planning by dominant airlines may have been exacerbated by attempts to pressure the regulator into diluting FDTL norms “for commercial gain”. It said the situation reflects a failure of proactive planning.
In a letter to the DGCA, FIP urged the regulator to consider re-evaluating and reallocating slots to other airlines capable of operating them without disruption during the peak holiday and fog season, if IndiGo continues to “fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages”.
FIP added that recent IndiGo cancellations cannot be attributed to the Delhi High Court-mandated FDTL regulations.
“All other airlines have provisioned pilots adequately and remain largely unaffected due to timely planning and preparation,” it said.
What did IndiGo pilots reveal about airline operations?
IndiGo pilots told FE that disruptions over the past two days stem from crew shortages following the implementation of the new FDTL norms from end-November. According to pilots, captains began refusing flights from December 1, forcing the airline to rework rosters and arrange replacements, triggering a cascading effect. They added that limited parking slots at smaller airports such as Pune, Lucknow and Goa further strained schedules and rosters.
Pilots claim IndiGo’s new FDTL-compliant rosters rely on crew working longer hours by waiving voluntary rest periods, something pilots have refused since December 1. “Pilots are now refusing to fly during voluntary rest timings as they feel the airline is not taking the adequate steps to add to flying crew and is instead relying on pilots to forgo voluntary rest timings to operate flights,” a senior IndiGo pilot told FE. A second pilot said crew are seeking higher rest times and higher pay to surrender leaves for additional flights, demands the airline has so far declined.
