New Delhi: India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, has eased some of the recently introduced pilot duty rules following large scale flight delays and cancellations, especially at major airports served by IndiGo. The temporary relaxation comes as airlines struggle to meet stricter rest and work schedule regulations, which were fully enforced earlier this month.
For the past week, passengers across the country faced long queues, sudden cancellations and delays as airlines, particularly IndiGo, worked with limited available crew. The new duty rules had increased weekly rest hours and imposed tighter limits on night operations and continuous flight duty. Many airlines were unable to adjust their crew rosters on time, leading to operational disruptions.
With the new relaxation, pilots can now count regular leave as part of their weekly rest period, giving airlines more flexibility to rebuild schedules. The DGCA also allowed longer duty hours in some situations as a temporary measure. Officials say this move is meant to stabilise services while keeping safety considerations in place.
IndiGo, which faced the largest impact, welcomed the decision and said operations will gradually return to normal by February next year. The airline and others are now required to present a detailed plan to hire more crew and improve scheduling systems to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Pilot associations expressed concern and warned that easing rules could increase fatigue risk if not monitored carefully. They argue the original regulations were designed to improve long term safety.
For now, passengers are hopeful the situation will improve in the coming days. However, experts say it could take weeks before flight schedules become fully stable again.
Government officials have said the relaxation is temporary and will remain in place only until airlines complete necessary adjustments.