An IndiGo Airlines plane. Image for illustration purposes only. | Photo credit: File
According to government officials, IndiGo will continue to face a 10% reduction in the number of flights, which is almost 200 fewer services, until the end of the winter season at the end of March 2026.
The airline has informed the government that it expects to be able to implement the revised piloting standards from February 10, when a special exemption it was granted for the rules that came into force on November 1, 2025 expires. the Directorate General of Civil Aviation imposed a fine of ₹22 crore last week.
The airline currently has 2,400 captains against a requirement of 2,280 and 2,240 first officers, compared with the 2,050 needed to operate the nearly 1,900 flights it has been flying since the government introduced a 10% cut on December 8, the aviation safety regulator said. The winter schedule runs from 26 October 2025 to 28 March 2026. A decision on the number of flights allowed to airlines for the summer schedule has not yet been taken.
“DGCA continues to closely monitor airline operations with particular emphasis on schedule integrity, crew availability, buffer adequacy, system robustness and compliance with Flight Time Limitation (FDTL) requirements,” the DGCA said in a statement.
IndiGo canceled as many as 4,280 flights in the first nine days of December. 900 flights were also canceled during November. Between November and 7 December 2025, up to 9.5 million passengers were affected by the cancellations. As a result, the airline refunded ₹827 crore till 7 December.
The DGCA investigation found that the cancellations were due to “a major focus on maximizing utilization of crew, aircraft and network resources, which significantly reduced roster reserves. Crew rosters were designed to maximize duty time.” Other factors included deficiencies in system software support and deficiencies in the airline’s management structure and operational control.
Published – 20 Jan 2026 20:56 IST
