Flight disruptions: DGCA eases rule on counting pilot leave as weekly rest to curb IndiGo crisis

IndiGo cancels over 500 flights, including all flights from Delhi and over 100 from Mumbai

In a bid to  mitigate IndiGo crisis, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has partially relaxed the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rule that previously stopped airlines from combining employee leave days with their mandatory weekly rest periods, sources told PTI.

Accoridng to News18, the regulator said it was temporarily withdrawing the rule that barred airlines from substituting weekly rest with accumulated leave, a restriction that had complicated crew rostering during the ongoing crunch.

DGCA also granted the airline a one-time conditional exemption from key night-duty limitations to help stabilise its severely disrupted network.

The regulator has allowed IndiGo pilots to operate up to six night landings, a significant relaxation from the current Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, which cap night landings at two per pilot.

The DGCA also eased restrictions on consecutive night duties, temporarily withdrawing the rule that bars pilots from undertaking more than two back-to-back night shifts.

The exemption, effective immediately, will remain valid until February 10 and will be subject to a mandatory review every 15 days, the regulator said.

Officials described the move as a “one-time, conditional measure" aimed solely at restoring operational stability.

All IndiGo domestic flights departing Delhi have been cancelled till midnight, the airport said in a brief post on X Friday morning. Overall, nearly 1,300 IndiGo flights have been cancelled so far.

Delhi airport has been hit the hardest, with the airline scrapping all 235 of its flights there today.

“In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations… the instruction contained in the referenced paragraph that no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect," the DGCA said as quoted by News18.

This is the second adjustment the DGCA has made to its FDTL norms in less than 24 hours. On Thursday last, the cap on the number of consecutive hours a pilot can fly was extended from 12 to 14.

What are FTDL norms?

The rules  state how long pilots can be on duty, how many hours they can fly and and how many night shifts they can perform and the minimum rest they must receive. The norms were implemented in two phases and fully enforced by November 1, 2025.

Here are the key rules:

•48 consecutive hours of weekly rest for pilots

•Night redefined as 12 am–6 am (earlier it was 12 am–5 am)

•Maximum of two night landings per pilot

•No more than two consecutive night duties

•Mandatory roster adjustments

IndiGo had attributed its massive surge in flight cancellations to transitional challenges in implementing the revised FDTL norms, crew-planning issues and winter-season operational constraints.

“We are activating a structured operational recovery plan starting 2 AM on 5 December. We ask for your flexibility and cooperation as Crew Tracking team reaches out with updates,” Akshay Mohan, IndiGo’s deputy head of flight operations wrote in a note to pilots, as quoted by Economic Times.

The airline is planning a truncated schedule where it will reduce around 300 flights per day from the 2,300 it flies currently.

The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA), had earlier said that IndiGo’s flight cancellations could be a pressure tactic to weaken the new rules.