900 pilots, 10 Feb deadline: DGCA night rules may force IndiGo into record hiring spree, what’s the plan?

The airline told DGCA it will add 158 pilots by 10 February and another 742 next year, but analysts warn notice periods and training bottlenecks make the goal tough.

IndiGo has outlined a plan to rapidly rebuild its pilot pool after a shortage triggered large-scale disruptions across its network last week, with the airline targeting the addition of 158 pilots by February 10 and another 742 by December next year, according to a report by Mint.

The hiring push follows the airline’s submission to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which outlined plans to hire 300 captains and 600 junior first officers over the next 12 months, the report said.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

The February deadline is critical because IndiGo must fully comply with the new DGCA limits on consecutive night operations by then.

What IndiGo told the regulator

In a document reviewed by Mint, InterGlobe Aviation said it currently has an under-training pool of 250 junior first officers. Over the next year, it plans to hire or upgrade 300 captains and 600 first officers to meet medium-term requirements.

For its Airbus fleet, IndiGo reported captain availability of 2,357 and first-officer strength of 2,194 in December. It plans to add:

• 25 captains and 35 first officers by the end of December
• 28 captains and 35 first officers in January
• 15 captains and 20 first officers by 10 February

This would raise the total to 2,425 captains and 2,284 first officers by the February compliance date.

As per its FY25 annual report, the airline had 5,456 pilots, including captains and first officers.

Why the February deadline matters

The DGCA’s second phase of revised flight duty limits, effective 1 November, restricts pilots to a maximum of two consecutive night flights between midnight and 6 am. The rule increases crew requirements because pilots must take mandatory rest after two nights of such operations.

All airlines were required to comply from 1 November, but IndiGo was granted additional time.

Earlier, the regulator had also introduced a rule effective 1 July expanding weekly rest to up to 48 hours and barring substitution of leave with rest. That provision has since been rolled back.

Cancellations used to 'reset' operations

In its submission, IndiGo said it would cancel 300–400 flights daily between 5 and 8 December to reset its roster and stabilise operations, followed by a revised schedule from 10 to 31 December, Mint reported.

The airline had cancelled over 3,600 flights across 35 days starting 1 November, following operational strain from pilot shortages and new duty norms.

Hiring challenges flagged by analysts

Analysts said the scale and speed of hiring required may be difficult to achieve.

Elara Securities estimated that IndiGo may need to hire at least 1,000 pilots to comply fully with flight duty time limitation norms by February, based on comparisons of pilot strength and fleet size.

“However, meeting this target could be challenging, as poaching talent is difficult due to long notice periods, six months for co-pilots and 12 months for captains,” Gagan Dixit, senior vice president (oil & gas and aviation) at Elara Securities, told Mint.

A second aviation expert, Mark D Martin, chief executive of Martin Consulting, said immediate availability remains a key constraint. Hiring foreign pilots also requires a minimum of three months for regulatory clearances, he said.

Structural shortage worsened by fleet stress

As per its last investor presentation, IndiGo operates 417 aircraft, including A320s, ATRs, a Boeing jet on wet lease from Turkish Airlines, and freighters. Nearly 40 A320 aircraft remain grounded due to engine issues with supplier Pratt & Whitney, reducing the effective A320 fleet to about 325.

These aircraft are being flown for about 14 hours a day, far higher than the industry norm of 8.5 hours. At this utilisation, IndiGo needs at least 17 pilot-and-copilot sets per aircraft instead of the usual 14.

Martin Consulting estimates that at 17 sets and 325 operating A320s, IndiGo’s crew requirement is 5,525. Its last DGCA filing showed only 4,551 crew for December, a shortfall of 974 pilots.

How IndiGo compares with rivals

“Typically, to run an Airbus A320 for 8–9 hours of flying, you need seven pilots and seven copilots. If the airline flies beyond that, your pilot requirement rises,” said CS Randawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots, as quoted by Mint.

A Mint analysis of the winter schedule and pilot numbers disclosed by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol showed IndiGo operating with just 2.5 pilots per departure, sharply lower than peers such as Air India at 5.4 and Akasa Air at 5.4.

The gap reflects both IndiGo’s fleet concentration on narrow-body aircraft and its relatively higher aircraft utilisation.

Why this is harder than it looks

Unlike rivals with mixed Boeing–Airbus fleets, IndiGo’s heavy dependence on high-utilisation A320 operations means every additional hour of flying directly amplifies its pilot requirement. With nearly 40 aircraft grounded due to engine checks, the airline is squeezing more flights out of fewer planes, and fewer pilots, compounding the staffing challenge just as night-operation curbs tighten.