After the chaos in Indigo Airlines flights in December 2025 and the huge inconvenience caused to the passengers, the government and the aviation regulator (DGCA) have kept a close watch on the airline. After the strictness of the Civil Aviation Ministry and DGCA, Indigo has now claimed that the situation is completely under control and there is no shortage of pilots.
The government’s review report has revealed that IndiGo’s operational system had come under pressure in December. According to the report, the airline was trying to operate more flights than its capacity.
Error occurred while trying to operate flights beyond capacity
Due to the emphasis on maximum utilization of crew and aircraft, the necessary buffer was not kept in the roster and pilots had to work till the last limit of duty time limit (FDTL). This increased fatigue and affected the stability of the system. The software support and management structure also failed to handle the pressure of that time.
In such a situation, in the interest of passengers, DGCA deployed its Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) directly at IndiGo’s Operation Control Center (OCC) and major airports between December 6 and 30, 2025. These officers monitored flights, crew availability, holidays and system performance on a daily basis and called for daily, weekly and fortnightly reports from the airlines.
Indigo disclosed figures in the meeting with DGCA
Now Indigo says that the situation has become normal. In the review meeting held with DGCA on Monday (January 19, 2026), the airline assured that there will be no large-scale flight cancellations after February 10, 2026. Indigo told with figures that it has more pilots available than required.
According to the report submitted to DGCA, the requirement of Airbus Captains (PIC) for February 10, 2026 is 2,280, while the available number is 2,400. At the same time, the requirement for Airbus First Officer is 2,050 and the number of pilots present is said to be 2,240. That means the number of pilots in both categories is more than required.
Describing this as the basis of operational stability, Indigo has said that flight operations will remain smooth even under the new FDTL rules. However, DGCA has made it clear that monitoring of the airline will continue to ensure the safety of passengers and strict adherence to rules.
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