&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "IndiGo meltdown: How new pilot fatigue rules forced India’s largest airline to cancel over 1,000 flights")
India’s one of the biggest airlines, IndiGo, is hit by massive disruptions in flight operations, with hundreds of flights being cancelled across the country and thousands of passengers stranded at the airports. On Friday (Dec 5), the airlines have requested exemptions from the specific Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) provisions up to February 10. More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled nationwide in four days, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers and resulting in chaos at the airports.
Indigo CEO Pieter Elbers has blamed an accumulation of several operational challenges for the flight disruptions. In an email to employees, he said that “minor technology glitches, schedule changes, adverse weather conditions, heightened congestion in the aviation ecosystem, and the implementation of the newly released Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms” have resulted in disruption in flight operations.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the situation and has asked IndiGo to provide a detailed explanation for the issues. Following the disruptions, the revised FDTL have come to light, with over 750 flights cancelled just because of it. But what are these regulations?
What are FDTL guidelines?
The FDTL rules are issued by the DGCA and restrict flight time and duty periods for pilots. After reviewing fatigue reports and international standards, the regulatory body revised the limits in January 2024. These rules aim to reduce fatigue-related safety risks.
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First notified in May 2024, the rules were implemented in two phases, in July 2025 and November 2025. The guidelines have revealed serious issues in staffing at airlines, especially at IndiGo, which is India’s largest carrier operating about 2,300 flights every day.
The following norms are part of the revised FDTL:
- The weekly rest period for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.
- The night landings have also been limited to two from six in a week, with no more than two consecutive night duties.
- The guidelines state that basic flight cannot be more than 8 hours of flight time and 13 hours for two crew set-ups.
- The new rules also redefine night hours as 00:00 – 06:00 instead of 00:00 – 05:00.
- Roster adjustments and quarterly fatigue reporting have been made mandatory.
