The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday ordered a 5 per cent reduction in IndiGo’s flight schedule in the wake of widespread disruptions in airline’s operations since December 2 following the implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms.
The aviation watchdog has asked the low-cost carrier to submit a revised schedule by 5pm on December 10.
"...IndiGo has not demonstrated the ability to operate its schedules efficiently. It is directed to reduce the schedule by 5% across sectors. IndiGo is required to submit a revised schedule by 5 pm on 10th December," the DGCA said in a formal notice issued on December 8.
The letter highlighted significant gaps between the airline’s cleared capacity and its actual operations.
According to the order, IndiGo had been sanctioned 15,014 weekly departures, coming to a total of 64,346 flights for November 2025 under the Winter Schedule.
However, operational data submitted by the airline showed it operated 59,438 flights during the month, with 951 cancellations recorded.
The regulator added that despite being permitted a 6 per cent enhancement in its schedule for Winter 2025 compared to the Summer Schedule 2025, IndiGo was not flying the aircraft it had projected.
“The airline could operate only 339 aircraft in October 2025 and 344 aircraft in November 2025,” it said, adding that the approval had been granted based on an indicated fleet of 403.
“From the above, it is inferred that Indigo has increased its departures by 9.66 per cent in comparison to Winter Schedule 24 (WS 24) and by 6.05 per cent in relation to Summer Schedule 25 (SS 25). However, the airline has not demonstrated an ability to operate these schedules efficiently,” the DGCA mentioned.
Consequently, IndiGo has been instructed “to reduce the schedule by 5 per cent across sectors, especially on high-demand, high-frequency flights, and to avoid single-flight operations on a sector.”
IndiGo operates over 2,200 flights daily across the domestic and international sectors. A 5% reduction in flight schedule will approximately affect 115 flights across India.
The action comes amid a pan-India aviation crisis following IndiGo's cancellation of hundreds of flights due to regulatory changes in the pilots' flight duty and regulations norms.
The latest FDTL norms, which entail increased weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extended night hours, and limiting the number of night landings to only two, as against six earlier, were initially opposed by domestic airlines, including IndiGo and Tata Group-owned Air India.
But they were subsequently rolled out by the DGCA following the Delhi High Court's directives, albeit with a delay of over one year, in a phased manner, and with certain variations for airlines like IndiGo and Air India.
The Centre later relaxed some of the norms as the IndiGo crisis spiralled out of control.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
