In a major move to stabilise India’s aviation sector, the Aviation body withdraws rest order that had restricted airlines from substituting pilots’ weekly rest with earned leave. The rollback comes amid IndiGo’s unprecedented operational crisis, which has triggered massive cancellations across major airports.
Aviation Body Withdraws Rest Order: DGCA Steps Back to Ease Chaos
India’s Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday withdrew a key part of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms — the clause stating that no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest. This decision was taken “with immediate effect” to ease the turmoil caused by severe pilot shortages and widespread flight cancellations at IndiGo.
The regulator also granted an exemption for night-time operations until February 10 but said airlines must undergo reviews every 15 days and provide a 30-day roadmap to prove progress toward full compliance.
With the Aviation body withdraws rest order decision, airlines can now count a pilot’s 48-hour earned leave as weekly rest, allowing more flexibility in building rosters and preventing unexpected grounding of crew.
Why the Aviation Body Withdraws Rest Order Matters
The DGCA has made two major changes to FDTL norms in less than 24 hours, including extending the cap on consecutive flying hours from 12 to 14. The withdrawal of the rest clause marks the third revision, highlighting the urgency to stabilise operations.
IndiGo dramatically underestimated the number of pilots required under the new FDTL rules, which increased mandatory rest from 36 to 48 hours per week. As a result, hundreds of pilots listed “on duty” under older rosters became ineligible to fly.
Nearly 1,300 flights have been cancelled so far, with over 550 cancellations on Thursday alone — the highest single-day disruption in the airline’s history.
IndiGo Crisis Deepens as Aviation Body Withdraws Rest Order
IndiGo’s operations — spanning over 2,200 daily domestic and international flights — have been crippled for days. The airline admitted miscalculating manpower needs as the new FDTL norms rolled out in phases on July 1 and November 1.
With no sign of immediate recovery, IndiGo has warned of disruptions until December 8. Delhi Airport announced a complete halt of IndiGo departures until midnight, although DGCA later clarified cancellations were until 3 pm, reflecting the widespread confusion.
Operations from Chennai to cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad also suffered cancellations till 6 pm.
The crisis has even hit markets. InterGlobe Aviation Ltd’s share price plunged from ₹5,883 to ₹5,415 by 2 pm on Friday.
Appeal for Cooperation
The DGCA has written to pilots’ associations seeking cooperation during this period of operational stress, citing fog season, peak holiday travel, and heavy wedding-season demand as compounding factors.
IndiGo issued another public apology:
“We understand how difficult the past few days have been. While this will not get resolved overnight, we assure you of progressive improvement starting tomorrow.”
