What’s The Technical Take on Indigo Issue? Good Or Bad!

It is already known that the Indigo company has created a huge problem in the Indian airline sector by cancelling a huge number of lights over the last couple of weeks. This has led to a lot of pressure on the civil aviation department, and Indigo itself is under the radar now.

Coming to the technical side of things, let us have a look at what is actually happening. India’s newly introduced Flight Duty Time Limitation norms have become a major talking point after widespread IndiGo flight cancellations, and IATA chief Willie Walsh has now weighed in on the issue.

He stated that India’s updated duty and rest rules for pilots are stricter than global standards, placing heavier restrictions on night duties and mandating longer rest periods. While he acknowledged that stricter regulations can strengthen safety, Walsh noted that the sudden rollout created challenges for airlines that were not fully prepared for the transition.

The implementation of these norms coincided with a massive disruption at IndiGo, where hundreds of flights were cancelled due to pilot shortages and rostering issues.

Industry officials and the civil aviation ministry pointed out that inadequate planning by the airline aggravated the situation, even though the norms themselves were designed to reduce fatigue and improve long term safety.

Walsh added that India remains a fast growing aviation market and that carriers, regulators, and stakeholders will adapt to the new system over time. He expressed confidence that operations will stabilise once airlines develop better scheduling strategies under the updated rules. It might take a bit of time for the civil aviation companies to come to terms with these regulations, and Indigo is in the process of the same.