61% of flights cancelled due to FDTL update, says IndiGo; pilot body highlights discrepancies. All you need to know

Airports across India have Indigo airline passengers frustrated due to delays and cancellations. Over 1,232 flights have been cancelled. For now, the airline says it is due to changes in FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations), which DGCA had revised in January 2024 and was to be implemented in a phased manner; that’s the very bug that bit the system and has caused the disruptions. Passengers have been stranded at airports for hours; those planning to get to the airport have been receiving rescheduling notifications.

When it comes to FDTL updates, the airline has been highlighting that pilots need rest, and so these implementations are important and necessary. During the implementation period, the airline brought in additional dispensation to the revised FDTL norms; as a result, it also increased flights in the winter schedule. These cancellations may not be entirely due to the revised standards.

As the situation unfolded, the airline released a note which highlighted, “A large share of cancellations arose from crew, FDTL compliance and airport, airspace and ATC-related factors, many of which lie beyond the operator's direct control. And as a corrective measure, IndiGo informed that it will be “strengthening crew planning and rostering while adhering to FDTL norms. Enhancing coordination with ATC and airports to manage capacity constraints.”

Of the 1232 flights cancelled, 755 (61%) were due to FDTL constraints, the airline reported to the regulator. Speaking to news agency PTI, aviation expert Sanjay Lazar noted the “huge lapse on the part of IndiGo. “Despite a two-year head start to recruit pilots required for the new norms that were coming into being,” he highlighted.

Airline Pilots' Association of India says…

“Airlines do not have the requisite number of pilots, or so they claim, to operate these flights in a timely manner,” Airline Pilots' Association of India President Capt Sam Thomas tells news agency PTI. He stressed on the fact that this is not the first time this pressure tactic has been used, but this DGCA said this is too old a tactic and you must get your act together with the revised FDTL norms.

Speaking of the winter schedule, particularly in northern India, which is regularly impacted by fog, Capt Thomas said, “There will be ensuing flight delays, and there are going to be fatigue-related matters as well. Airlines have to plan for sufficient backup, but somehow the commercial interest has taken precedence.”

IndiGo pilots rested and happy?

IndiGo’s parent company, InterGlobe Aviation, is among the world's five largest airlines by market capitalisation. Keeping passenger safety in mind, the airline has said that pilots will do only two landings if it is between midnight and 6 AM, but it becomes three at times. On other days, they are given a rest day, but on this day they could be called in to fly as a passenger to the next location from where they are expected to operate.

Pilots get paid only for the hours they fly, which means after pushback. You may have seen pilots in uniform seated beside you during your travels. Now, you know they are only prepping for their next flight. Also, if a flight is delayed and the pilot operating that sector is on duty, she/he will not be paid for the time spent at the airport. It is only after pushback that hours will be calculated.