After December chaos, IndiGo assures DGCA of stable operations from February 10

, India fined IndiGo $2.45 million, issued warnings to senior executives and directed the airline to remove the head of its operations control from his duties after the disruptions.

• IndiGo assures DGCA of stable operations and sufficient crew from February.
• DGCA oversight and corrective actions improved IndiGo's service reliability
• Temporary flight duty exemptions for IndiGo pilots to end after February 10

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IndiGo has assured aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that it will maintain operational stability and have adequate flight crew availability from February, following widespread flight disruptions that hit the airline’s network in December, the regulator said on Tuesday.

“IndiGo has reported adequate pilot availability against projected operational requirements and assured operational stability from February,” the DGCA said after a review meeting held on January 19.

India’s largest airline faced significant delays and cancellations in early December due to shortcomings in pilot roster planning, crew availability and operational preparedness, prompting enhanced regulatory oversight and temporary relaxations in flight duty time norms.

Following the review, the DGCA said IndiGo assured the regulator of “no flight cancellations after February 10 on the current approved network,” sufficient crew strength and the withdrawal of two temporary FDTL exemptions that were granted in December.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the disruptions were caused by inadequate flight crew management, insufficient operational buffers and system-level gaps in resource planning and oversight. “The airline’s scheduling processes did not adequately identify operational deficiencies, while an overriding focus on aircraft utilisation reduced roster buffers and recovery margins,” the ministry said, adding that this impacted the effective implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules.

“In view of the scale of disruption and in the interest of the travelling public, immediate stabilisation measures and enhanced oversight were initiated,” the DGCA said.

From December 6 to January 30, the regulator deployed two Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) along with passenger facilitation personnel at IndiGo’s Operations Control Centre and key airports. “The teams monitored day-to-day operations, passenger handling and regulatory compliance during the recovery phase,” the DGCA said.

During this period, IndiGo was directed to submit daily operational reports covering flight cancellations and delays, crew positioning and availability, crew leave and standby utilisation, and system performance indicators. The airline was also required to file weekly and fortnightly reports on critical operational and manpower parameters, along with a detailed Corrective Action Plan to ensure stability and compliance with revised FDTL provisions.

The enhanced reporting framework covered standby crew utilisation across the Airbus fleet, pilot training and attrition forecasts, pending endorsements, command upgrades and first officer hiring, pilot release timelines, and required versus available pilot strength across Airbus, ATR and wet-leased aircraft.

As per data submitted to the regulator, IndiGo projected an available strength of 2,400 Airbus pilots against a requirement of 2,280 for February 2026, while Airbus first officer availability stood at 2,240 against a requirement of 2,050.

The DGCA had earlier relaxed two provisions related to night duty limits for IndiGo pilots until February 10 to help stabilise operations — a move that drew criticism from pilot unions and aviation safety advocates.

“Sustained regulatory oversight and corrective measures have resulted in stabilisation of operations and improvement in service reliability,” the DGCA said, adding that close monitoring would continue with particular emphasis on roster integrity, buffer adequacy, system robustness and adherence to FDTL requirements.