IndiGo Flight Chaos: Are Indian Pilots Overworked — And How Do Rules Compare Globally?

Thousands of domestic flights operated by India’s largest carrier, IndiGo, were cancelled in the first half of December after the airline struggled to comply with newly implemented pilot rest and duty regulations. The disruption — about 3,400 cancellations since December 2 — left travellers stranded, prompted a temporary government cap on fares and intensified scrutiny of pilot working conditions and airline staffing policies.

What Happened?

IndiGo, which runs roughly 2,200 flights a day and holds about 65% of India’s domestic market, reported the worst operational disruption in its 20-year history after new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) came fully into effect. Cancellation spikes included roughly 1,600 flights on one day, more than 700 the next, and several hundred on subsequent days. The airline said it expected operations to normalize by December 15.

New Rules Aimed at Reducing Fatigue

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) introduced the FDTL to align pilot duty and rest rules more closely with international fatigue-risk guidance. Key measures that took effect include:

• Increasing mandatory weekly rest from 36 to 48 hours (personal leave excluded from this mandated rest).
• Capping flying hours that extend into night at 10 hours.
• Limiting the weekly number of late-night landings per pilot to two.
• Requiring airlines to submit pilots’ fatigue reports quarterly to the DGCA.

Why The Disruption?

Pilot unions and aviation experts say the disruption exposed inadequate workforce planning at IndiGo. Critics — including the Federation of Indian Pilots and industry commentators — pointed to a hiring freeze, alleged non-poaching pacts, and a prolonged pilot pay freeze that left the carrier short of available crew once the stricter rest rules were enforced.

"Despite the two-year preparatory window before full FDTL implementation, the airline inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze... and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices," the Federation of Indian Pilots told the Press Trust of India.

Pilots' Perspective

A pilot who spoke on condition of anonymity described limited salary growth for many Indian pilots despite rising living costs and responsibilities. Entry-level salaries for commercial pilots vary by source; training academies estimate starting annual pay around 400,000 rupees (~$4,400), while senior captains at major carriers can earn in excess of 10 million rupees (~$120,000).

Career progression generally moves from cadet or junior first officer to senior roles and, after accumulating about 3,000 flight hours, pilots may sit the Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) theoretical exam to qualify as captains.

How India’s Rules Compare Internationally

ICAO does not set prescriptive fatigue limits, so countries and regions adopt different approaches. Representative comparisons include:

• Australia (CASA): Minimum 48-hour break in any seven-day period; night duty generally capped at nine to ten hours; no explicit night-landing cap.
• Canada: At least 36 consecutive hours off during any seven-day period from home base; night duty limited to eight to ten hours; no formal night-landing cap.
• European Union (EASA): Weekly rest minimum of 36 hours, reducible to 24 hours with compensation; rules include detailed fatigue mitigation provisions.
• United States: Flight crew must receive 30 consecutive hours free from duty in any seven-day period; night duty generally capped at nine to ten hours.

Pilot pay also varies widely across jurisdictions: rough median or typical figures cited in the article include ~A$200,000 in Australia, C$38,000–C$250,000 in Canada, €32,000–€114,000 across parts of Europe, and a 2024 U.S. median of about $198,100 for commercial pilots.

What This Means

The IndiGo disruptions underline how regulatory changes intended to improve safety can create acute capacity challenges if not matched by proactive hiring, retention and rostering strategies. The episode has prompted debate on airline labour practices, pay competitiveness, and whether market concentration — IndiGo and Air India together control about 92% of domestic capacity — increases systemic vulnerability to staffing shocks.

*The pilot quoted in this article requested anonymity; the name used has been changed to protect identity.