What Are India’s Pilot Safety Rules That Hit IndiGo Operations And Air Travel | Explained

IndiGo: India’s revised pilot duty and fatigue rules have turned into the biggest aviation flashpoint of the year after IndiGo admitted that inadequate planning for the changes disrupted thousands of flights and triggered nationwide travel chaos. The regulations were rolled out in stages through 2024, with the second phase enforced from November 1.

As IndiGo scrambled to reorganise rosters, the impact spilled across airports, ticket prices, and passenger schedules.

Below are some key rules notified by India’s Aviation Regulator-

Weekly Pilot Rest

One of the biggest amendments was extending mandatory weekly rest for pilots from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The civil aviation watchdog said the additional hours were necessary to allow full recovery from cumulative fatigue and prevent unsafe cockpit conditions.

Despite the ongoing disruptions, this rule continues to apply.

Maximum Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two landings per week between midnight and early morning, a major cut from the earlier limit of six.

This window is considered a high-fatigue period, and authorities said reduced exposure lowers safety risks. However, this rule has been temporarily paused for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilise operations.

Flight Duty

Flights that stretch past midnight are now capped at 10 hours of flying duty for pilots.

Like the landing restriction, this too has been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 in order to prevent further cancellations.

Rest Time & Leave

Pilots have long argued that airlines counted personal leave as weekly rest. Under the new rules, weekly rest must be provided in addition to leave, not merged with it.

For now, all airlines have been exempted from this provision to restore normal schedules.

Fatigue Reports

All carriers are now required to submit quarterly fatigue assessments and corrective action reports to the aviation regulator. This creates an accountability trail and gives regulators visibility into cockpit fatigue trends and airline practices.

Why These Rules Matter

Aviation safety experts have repeatedly flagged fatigue as a leading global risk factor in aviation incidents. India’s regulator has argued that passenger safety cannot be compromised, even if airlines face short-term operational discomfort.

As IndiGo races to restore schedules, the industry-wide transition to safer fatigue norms is expected to continue well into next year.

(Via Agency Reports)

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