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IndiGo crisis & Flight Cancellation: Pilots’ associations have considered negligence as the biggest reason for IndiGo’s recent flight crisis. Pilots allege that the current situation has arisen due to the delay in preparing the new FDTL policy. DGCA had issued rules in January 2024, but Indigo did not update the crew roster on time, the result of which is now in front of everyone. From yesterday till today, more than 1000 flights have been canceled and many times more have been delayed.
Reason behind IndiGo crisis & Flight Cancellation: Indigo Airline, which got the title of number one on the basis of excellent on-time performance, has been making its passengers cry for the last two days. Be it Delhi or Mumbai, Lucknow or Patna, Indigo flights are getting canceled from every airport. If we talk about December 4 only, till 11 pm more than 272 flights have been cancelled. Indigo may be telling its passengers only the operation region behind this cancellation, but the real reason behind this is something else.
According to a senior pilot, the real reason for the crisis of delays and cancellations in Indigo flights is the delay in planning the new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) policy. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued the revised rules of FDTL in January 2024 itself. Also, DGCA had clearly told all the airlines including IndiGo that the second phase of changes in FDTL will be implemented from November 1st. It is alleged that despite getting sufficient time, Indigo did not complete its preparations.
According to aviation sources, airlines have to finalize their crew rosters at least 15 days in advance. On this basis, pilots’ duty, rest time and flight schedule are set. But Indigo delayed the roster adjustment. When there was still time left for the implementation of the new rules and no concession was received from DGCA, IndiGo started the work of roster adjustment, due to which the availability of pilots and crew on many routes was not possible. The result was that about 8 percent of IndiGo flights were affected and hundreds were cancelled.
These changes were made in the new FDTL policy
The rest time of pilots has been increased in the new FDTL policy. Besides, some restrictions have also been imposed on night flights. In the new FDTL policy, the limits for frequent flying have been tightened. This change was necessary for safety and was brought with the aim of reducing the fatigue of the pilots. According to pilots, these rules do not mean that airlines will have to double the number of pilots. All that is needed is better and timely planning.
Indigo got about ten months time
According to aviation sources, this deficiency was clearly visible in the IndiGo crisis. The airline had approximately ten months from January to November to adjust its schedule, crew assignments and backup plans to the new system. But the late preparation put the operation under immense pressure. Now DGCA has kept a close watch on this matter and has sought a detailed report from the airlines. At the same time, Indigo says that it is working on rapidly stabilizing the crew roster and the situation will become normal in the next few days.
