Indigo Pilot Crisis: In the last few days, many Indigo flights have been canceled and delayed, affecting thousands of passengers. IndiGo is India’s largest airline, handling more than 60 percent of domestic passenger traffic. But the main reason for the current problem is the shortage of pilots in view of the new flight duty time limit (FDTL) norms. One reason is the second and final phase of the new crew rest and duty rules. It was implemented last month and Indigo was not fully prepared for it.
On Wednesday (December 3), only 19.7 percent of flights operated on time, while this number was 35 percent on Tuesday and almost 50 percent on Monday. This disruption caused chaos at most Indian airports. IndiGo passengers expressed their disappointment over the long delays and cancellations on social media. Many people also complained that due to the disruption they had to take expensive flights on other airlines.
What is the new rule, which caused the problem?
Under the new FDTL rules, the weekly rest period for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours and night landing has been limited to two hours from the earlier six hours. It is believed that this has had a great impact on Indigo’s crew rostering. These rules also extend the definition of night hours by one hour, placing additional restrictions on airline operations. The new rules aim to better deal with pilot fatigue, a major risk to aviation safety.
Problem arose in the second phase
IndiGo successfully completed the first phase without any significant impact, which also included a weekly rest period for the crew. But the second phase required a reduction in the level of crew utilization for ‘red eye’ flights. Therefore Indigo suffered more losses than other airlines. IndiGo, a proponent of the low-cost airline model, has better aircraft and crew utilization levels than other Indian airlines. Night flights of this airline are also higher than other airlines. With a fleet of over 400 aircraft, IndiGo operates over 2,300 flights per day, connecting over 90 domestic and 45 international destinations. And it does this with a lean employee model.
Why is Indigo affected the most?
If the flight cancellation rate remains even 10 percent, then more than 230 Indigo flights will be cancelled. In contrast, the next largest airline group, Air India, operates less than half its flights. The bulk of IndiGo’s fleet is narrow-body aircraft like the Airbus A320. Usually several flights are operated by this aircraft in a day. This means that the incidence of delays and cancellations could increase rapidly. According to DGCA, IndiGo informed the regulator that 1,232 of its flights were canceled in November. Of these, 755 were canceled due to crew and FDTL related constraints, 258 due to airspace and airport restrictions, 92 due to air traffic control system failure incidents, and 127 due to various other reasons.
Is there really a shortage of pilots?
The main reason for the crisis that Indigo Airlines is going through is the shortage of pilots. This crisis has arisen mainly due to new government rules, but pilots’ organizations say that the airline’s own inadequate preparation is also responsible for this. Strict regulations have made it very complex for airlines to create flight rosters, requiring more pilots to operate the same number of flights. Pilot organizations (such as FIP) have alleged that IndiGo is responsible for the crisis due to its ‘lean manpower’ strategy. He says there was two years of preparation time for the new FDTL rules, but IndiGo did not recruit enough pilots, did not increase salaries, and continued its large operation with reduced staff.
How much staff does the airline need?
IndiGo is facing a shortage of pilots and this shortage has increased due to DGCA’s new more humane FDTL rules. Which has left the airline in need of more crew overnight. According to pilot organisations, the crisis is a direct result of the airline’s long-term under-recruitment and poor operational strategy. Under the new FDTL rules, IndiGo required 2,422 captains. There is a shortage of 65 captains as compared to the requirement. This is only in the rank of Captain, the shortage of co-pilots may be different.
fares will be affected by increasing pilot
There are two main reasons why fares may increase due to an increase in the number of pilots. The biggest expense of an airline after fuel is the salaries of its employees. A huge investment has to be made in finding, training and licensing new pilots. Airlines have to pay higher salaries and allowances to retain experienced pilots and attract new pilots. Especially for a low-cost carrier like IndiGo which is known for paying low salaries to its employees, this will be a huge cost. Because any company will pass this additional burden on consumers to maintain its profits.
Many airlines are in dire need
Given the current situation of the Indian aviation market, there is a dire need for more airlines to stop the monopoly trend. At present, the Indian domestic aviation market is mainly dominated by two large conglomerates, leading to imbalance in competition. Almost 90% of the market is under the control of only these two groups (IndiGo and Tata). There is a dire need for more airlines in India. The new airlines will not only help in reducing fares but will also provide stability to the market in times of operational crisis.
