End to IndiGo chaos soon? DGCA likely to grant partial waiver on new pilot rest rules; airline to submit mitigation plan as cancellations mount

India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is expected to give IndiGo a temporary, partial waiver from the recently implemented pilot rest and duty rules after the airline was forced to cancel more than a thousand flights in the coming days due to a severe pilot shortage.

IndiGo, which commands over 60% of the domestic market, has slipped into one of its worst operational crises after the rollout of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) left it without sufficient crew.