Indian Regulator Orders Detailed Pilot Recruitment Roadmap Amid FDTL-Linked Disruptions in 2025

India – The Government of India has directed IndiGo to submit a staggered, time-bound pilot hiring plan after several days of widespread flight cancellations revealed significant cockpit-crew shortfalls linked to Phase-II implementation of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. Senior IndiGo management met with officials from the DGCA and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to outline mitigation steps as operational disruptions intensified across the network.

• Government assessments indicate IndiGo requires significantly more than its current 5,000+ pilots to comply with FDTL Phase-II rules, after internal planning gaps resulted in underestimated crew needs.

• The DGCA attributed the situation to underestimation of crew requirements, transitional challenges in applying the new FDTL norms, crew-planning errors and winter-season operational constraints.

• IndiGo has requested temporary operational variations to specific FDTL provisions while committing to restoring stable operations by 10 February 2026.

The DGCA has instructed IndiGo to submit a detailed roadmap covering:

• Staggered pilot recruitment and training timelines

• Revised rostering structures aligned with FDTL Phase-II

• Safety-risk assessments related to crew-availability pressures

• Operational and passenger-handling mitigation measures

• Improved planning processes to prevent recurrence

Source: DGCA India