The airline had last year faced operational problems due to crew shortages, weak planning and system issues, leading to a high number of disrupted flights
IndiGo has reported that it has sufficient pilots for its planned network. Representational Pic/File
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said that sustained regulatory oversight and corrective action have helped stabilise operations at IndiGo.
It said that the airline now has an adequate number of pilots to comply with the revised flight duty norms without causing further disruption.
The airline faced operational problems due to crew shortages, weak planning and system issues, leading to a high number of disrupted flights.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) intervened to oversee the airline’s recovery and ensure compliance with safety rules.
Regulatory oversight following major disruption
The disruption in December was linked to the airline’s failure to maintain adequate flight crew buffers and insufficient operational planning. Crew rosters were found to be operating at the limits of permissible duty hours, with heavy reliance on dead-heading, tail swaps and extended duty patterns.
This approach left little room for recovery and weakened the airline’s ability to meet the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).
In response, MoCA and DGCA stepped in to ensure stability and protect passengers.
DGCA placed inspectors at operations centres
From December 6 to December 30, 2025, DGCA deployed two Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) at IndiGo’s Operations Control Centre (OCC) and at major airports. Passenger facilitation teams were also placed at key locations, the official statement said.
These teams monitored day-to-day operations, passenger handling and compliance with regulations during the recovery phase.
- Daily and weekly reporting required
- IndiGo was required to submit daily reports covering:
- Flight cancellations and delays
- Crew positioning and availability
- Crew leave and standby usage
- System performance and operational KPIs
Weekly and fortnightly reports were also demanded, including a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) to ensure operational stability and full compliance with the revised FDTL rules.
Airline reports adequate pilot strength
In the latest review meeting on January 19, 2026, IndiGo reported that it has sufficient pilots for its planned network.
The airline’s reported numbers as of February 10, 2026 were:
| Category | Requirement | Available |
| Airbus PIC | 2,280 | 2,400 |
| Airbus First Officers | 2,050 | 2,240 |
IndiGo also assured the DGCA that there would be no flight cancellations after February 10, 2026 due to pilot or crew shortages. The assurance came after the removal of two temporary FDTL exemptions granted in December, the statement further said.
Official comments
Although IndiGo has not issued an official statement to the media, an anonymous executive said, “If we have assured the regulator (DGCA) that no cancellations would take place due to FDTL-related reasons such as pilot shortage or crew shortage, then we will do our best to deliver on it. There might be other cancellations which could be due to technical or weather-related reasons but we will do our best to not have cancellations.”
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