IndiGo shares drop 8% in five days as crew shortage forces thousands of flight cancellations
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued temporary relaxations to the FDTL rules to ease the staffing crunch
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IndiGo’s shares have fallen more than 8 percent over the past five days as the airline cancels thousands of flights amid disruptions triggered by changes to the Centre-led Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules. On Friday, the stock slipped to Rs5,265 apiece--its lowest level in five months.
The sweeping cancellations have led to chaos across major airports, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. IndiGo, which controls nearly 60 percent of India’s domestic aviation market, is facing a severe crew shortage, particularly among pilots, following the introduction of revised FDTL norms last month.
The updated rules mandate longer rest periods and more humane rostering practices. However, IndiGo has struggled to realign its network and crew schedules to comply with the new requirements.
In a statement, the airline apologized for the disruptions, saying: “We acknowledge that IndiGo’s operations have been significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience caused.”
IndiGo admitted that the crisis resulted from internal misjudgments and planning gaps during the rollout of Phase 2 of the FDTL norms. The airline has indicated it needs time until February 10, 2026, to fully stabilize operations.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued temporary relaxations to the FDTL rules to ease the staffing crunch. According to News18, the regulator has withdrawn, for now, the restriction that barred airlines from combining weekly rest periods with accumulated leave, a condition that had complicated crew rostering.
The DGCA has also allowed IndiGo pilots to operate up to six night landings, easing the earlier cap of two, and has temporarily lifted the restriction preventing pilots from working more than two consecutive night duties. These exemptions will remain in place until February 10, with reviews scheduled every 15 days.
