‘Hiring freeze, short-sighted planning’: Pilot body attacks Indigo amid cancellation chaos

FIP has urged the DGCA to consider re-evaluating and reallocating slots to other airlines, which have the capacity to operate them without disruption.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has alleged that IndiGo "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze" despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew".

A man looks at a flight schedule screen displaying several delayed flights by IndiGo airlines at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. (REUTERS)

In a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) late Wednesday, the pilot body said it has urged the safety regulator not to approve airlines' seasonal flight schedules unless they have adequate staff to operate their services "safely and reliably" under the New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

The pilots' body alleged that "despite the two-year preparatory window before full FDTL implementation, the airline inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, maintained a pilot pay freeze through cartel-like behaviour, and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices,” PTI reported.

The letter comes amid chaos among flyers as Indigo has cancelled scores of flights across multiple airports due to reasons including crew shortages resulting from the implementation of new roster norms.

FIP has urged the DGCA to consider re-evaluating and reallocating slots to other airlines, which have the capacity to operate them without disruption during the peak holiday and fog season if IndiGo continues to "fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages."

"FIP strongly advocates that the DGCA must approve seasonal flight schedules only after airlines prove they have adequate pilot strength under the new FDTL norms to operate safely and reliably," the pilots' body said.

With the onset of the busy winter fog season -- which naturally demands higher pilot availability -- IndiGo still expanded its winter schedule "without recruiting or training additional pilots", raising serious questions about operational responsibility, it stated in the letter.

Just on Wednesday, IndiGo cancelled over 150 flights and delayed hundreds by considerable time across various airports due to multiple reasons, including crew shortages resulting from the implementation of the new FDTL norms. According to the ministry of civil aviation website, only 19.7 per cent of Indigo flights arrived and departed on time at six major airports. The chaos continued on Thursday with hundreds of flight cancellations and multiple delays from the carrier.

Indigo chaos cannot be attributed to new roster norms, FIP says

FIP also said it would like to categorically clarify that the recent spate of IndiGo flight cancellations cannot be attributed to the Delhi High Court-mandated roster regulations for pilots.

"All other airlines have provisioned pilots adequately and remain largely unaffected due to timely planning and preparation," it said, adding "the current disruption is the direct consequence of IndiGo's prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in-flight operations."

In line with international regulations, the Indian aviation safety regulator approves two schedules — winter (from late October to late March) and summer (from late March to late October) — for domestic airlines.

The Gurugram-based airline has received approval for 15,014 flights per week for the ongoing winter schedule, representing an increase of almost 10 per cent from the 13,691 flights it operated per week during the previous winter, as per PTI.

What are the latest roster norms?

The latest FDTL norms, which entail increased weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extended night hours, and limiting the number of night landings to only two, as against six earlier, were initially opposed by domestic airlines, including IndiGo and Tata Group-owned Air India.

However, they were subsequently rolled out by the DGCA following the Delhi High Court's directives, albeit with a delay of over a year, in a phased manner, and with certain variations for airlines such as IndiGo and Air India.

While the first phase of these FDTL norms came into force in July, the second phase, which had previously reduced the number of night landings from six to two, was implemented as of November 1.

The norms were originally scheduled to be implemented from March 2024, but airlines, including IndiGo, sought a step-by-step implementation, citing additional crew requirements.