Pilot fatigue rules deferred for IndiGo amid mega meltdown

India’s aviation network has plunged into disruption, with nearly half of all domestic flights cancelled over the past three days— largely at IndiGo—stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers and forcing the regulator to soften its newly-tightened pilot fatigue norms.

- Abhishek Law & Dipali Banka

DGCA has given IndiGo time until 10 Feb to comply.

(MINT)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Friday gave IndiGo time until 10 February to comply with limits on consecutive night operations, a pause the government says is essential to restore stability, even as pilots and safety experts warn the move undermines hard-won fatigue protections.

The directorate had proposed to roll out two rules for all airlines. The first, which took effect from 1 July, asked airlines to give pilots weekly rest of up to 48 hours, up from 36 hours, and also prohibited them from substituting pilots’ leave—casual, sick, or earned—with weekly rest. This rule has been rolled back.

The second rule, which took effect on November and limited pilots to two back-to-back flights between midnight and 6am, will apply to all airlines except IndiGo, which gets additional time.

On Friday, the third straight day of inconvenience for passengers, the civil aviation ministry said it had set up a four-member panel to probe the meltdown of operations at IndiGo. The panel is expected to submit its findings in 15 days.