IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet have termed the proposed cabin crew rest norms as “stricter” than international standards and give airlines limited operational flexibility, according to a PTI report.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has published its draft Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on cabin crew flight time limitations (FDTL) in October 2025.
The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), representing IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, has made several recommendations to the aviation regulator. She emphasized the need for “globally harmonised, evidence-based and operationally practical provisions”.
Focus on service time
The key point of the grouping is that the main measure used to manage cabin crew fatigue on a day-to-day basis should be flight duty time instead of flight time.
“Duty and rest limits may focus on flight duty time and minimum rest periods, avoiding proper cumulative ceilings or a direct link to the number of landings,” the report quoted the FIA as saying in the January 12 letter.
A flight duty period typically begins when a cabin crew is instructed by the operator to report for duty or begin work and ends when they have no duties.
Flight time generally refers to the duration of a flight.
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In addition, the FIA stated that duty and rest limits should focus on flight duty time and minimum rest periods to avoid cumulative caps or a direct link to the number of landings.
“The proposed CAR framework appears to be more restrictive compared to global standards, offers limited operational flexibility and does not adequately address all fatigue issues with the nuances required for different types of operations,” the report quoted the letter as saying.
Accommodation standards for the crew
Regarding the proposed standards for cabin crew rooms, the FIA said that accommodation standards should emphasize the quality of rest, with twin sharing allowed under guidelines defined by the operator.
The three airlines emphasized that international frameworks recognize that effective recovery from fatigue depends on sufficient rest opportunities and circadian arrangement (local night), rather than the physical location where rest occurs, the report said.
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Meanwhile, the revised FDTL standards for pilots are still not fully implemented, despite legal disputes, and non-compliance with the new provisions was also one of the reasons for significant operational disruptions at IndiGo in early December 2025.
The Indigo Crisis
Indigo, a major player in the Indian airline industry, canceled more than 5,000 flights in December, allegedly due to a severe crew shortage caused by its failure to implement new regulations for pilots.
The airline blamed “a number of unforeseen operational issues” for the chaos, including minor technical glitches, winter schedule changes, congestion and weather.