IndiGo has on Wednesday informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation that it is ready to fully implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules, after a one-time temporary exemption granted to the airline came to an end today.
In a submission to the aviation regulator, the country’s largest airline said it has completed the required changes to crew scheduling, rostering and operational planning to comply with the stricter duty and rest norms. The temporary relief, which allowed IndiGo flexibility on certain crew duty limits, was given after the airline faced a major operational disruption in December marked by widespread delays and cancellations.
The updated FDTL rules are designed to reduce pilot fatigue by tightening limits on flight duty hours, especially for night operations, and by mandating longer rest periods between duties. While airlines have raised concerns about staffing pressures and possible disruptions, the DGCA has maintained that the rules are critical for flight safety and must be enforced.
IndiGo’s confirmation comes as the regulator steps up monitoring of airline operations, particularly during periods of heavy passenger traffic. The December disruption had exposed vulnerabilities in crew availability and scheduling, prompting the regulator to allow limited temporary relaxations to help stabilise services.
According to people familiar with airline operations, complying with the new FDTL norms will require more conservative flight schedules and, in some cases, the deployment of additional crew. IndiGo said it has factored these requirements into its planning and does not expect any impact on its day-to-day operations.
With the exemption now expired, IndiGo will operate entirely under the revised duty time framework, marking a key step in the DGCA’s push to tighten safety standards and fatigue management practices across India’s fast-growing aviation sector.