IndiGo raises crew buffer and pilot-to-aircraft ratio

IndiGo has increased its crew buffer from zero in December to 3% in February and raised its pilot-to-aircraft ratio, improvements that have led government officials to expect minimal disruption when exemptions on pilot rest periods expire on February 10, according to officials aware of the matter.

- Neha LM Tripathi

The buildup in pilot strength comes as the airline prepares to resume full compliance with flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms that triggered operational collapse in December, when IndiGo cancelled over 5,000 flights and drew a record ₹22.2 crore penalty from aviation regulators alongside accountability action against its top leadership.

The December crisis forced DGCA to grant temporary exemptions on December 6, allowing the airline to breach night-duty restrictions until February 10.

“We are expecting minimal flight disruptions due to FDTL violations,” a senior government official said, asking not to be named. A second senior official, who asked not to be named and spoke without mentioning any specific measures taken by the airline, said: “A review on IndiGo operations was conducted on 6th and they are on track.”

The assessment that operations will stabilise post-February 10 is based on rostering plans showing IndiGo has increased its ratio of pilot crews to aircraft — a key measure of operational resilience — while expanding reserve pilot strength and maintaining a hiring pipeline to offset attrition, according to aviation ministry data accessed by Hindustan Times.

“The airline has begun planning operations at seven crew sets per aircraft, with the February roster showing 7.2 sets, up from 7.1 in January, based on 1,862 daily flights and a block per trip day of 3.99 hours,” a government official said. Crew sets measure how many complete pilot teams the airline has for each aircraft in its fleet.

In December, when it encountered trouble, the airline had fewer than six crew sets per jet, according to documents seen by HT.