New Delhi: In a bid to provide urgent operational relief to IndiGo and address the airline’s ongoing flight disruptions, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday issued a series of interim approvals aimed at ensuring continuity of operations while maintaining safety standards. The measures come amid widespread flight cancellations, crew shortages, and cascading delays that have affected thousands of passengers across India over the past several days.

Among the most significant of these approvals is the deployment of 12 Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs), currently on deputation from IndiGo, to undertake flight duties with the airline. These inspectors will assist with crew scheduling and operational requirements for an initial period of 7 to 10 days, providing immediate support to stabilize flight operations. This move is particularly aimed at addressing the shortage of crew resulting from the newly implemented Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) regulations, which have limited the working hours of pilots and increased mandatory rest periods.

In addition to deploying FOIs, the DGCA also extended the validity of IndiGo’s Designated Examiners’ (DEs) annual refresher training until February 2026. The extension is conditional upon the absence of any adverse safety observations. Similarly, the validity of DE standardization checks has been extended until the same period, ensuring that critical regulatory compliance measures for pilot certification remain intact.

Another critical component of the DGCA’s approval allows IndiGo to conduct simulator training and checks using instructors and examiners (SFE/SFI) from other DGCA-approved Approved Training Organizations (ATOs) within India. This provision enables the airline to maintain pilot proficiency and simulator training schedules despite the ongoing disruptions. Furthermore, type-rated trainer FOIs—inspectors certified to operate specific aircraft types such as the Airbus A320—are now authorized to conduct the necessary simulator checks for IndiGo’s flight crew under DGCA procedures.

The regulator’s order also permits medically unfit DEs and TRIs (type-rated instructors), provided they are cleared for non-flying instructional duties, to be used for simulator training and checks wherever feasible. All these measures are designed to ensure that IndiGo’s pilot training, certification, and operational readiness can continue without compromising safety standards.

In its order, the DGCA emphasized that these approvals are strictly a one-time facilitation measure, meant solely to stabilize IndiGo’s operations during the ongoing crisis. The regulator highlighted that full adherence to safety, training, and documentation requirements must be maintained, and IndiGo is required to coordinate closely with the Flight Standards Directorate (FSD), Air Safety Directorate (ASD), and other relevant DGCA directorates.

These interventions by the DGCA follow a week-long period of escalating flight cancellations and delays for IndiGo. Between December 3 and December 5, hundreds of flights were cancelled daily due to a combination of poor crew rostering under new FDTL rules, technical glitches in crew scheduling software, and operational bottlenecks at airports. The disruptions have affected thousands of passengers, resulting in stranded travellers, long queues, and a surge in domestic airfares.

By deploying FOIs to undertake flight duties and enabling flexible use of DEs and TRIs for simulator training, the DGCA aims to alleviate crew shortages, speed up flight operations, and restore normalcy across IndiGo’s network. According to officials, these measures, combined with the airline’s ongoing corrective steps, are expected to stabilize flight schedules within the coming days.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has stated that the government is closely monitoring the situation through a control room that consolidates data from airport operators, airlines, and air traffic control. The ministry has also issued directives to ensure passengers affected by cancellations receive timely updates, full refunds, and accommodations where required.

The DGCA’s decision reflects the regulator’s dual priority of operational continuity and passenger safety, ensuring that IndiGo can resume normal flight schedules without compromising the rigorous standards expected of India’s aviation sector. Officials said that the one-time exemptions and interim approvals would remain valid only for the specified duration and under the conditions outlined in the DGCA order, underscoring the temporary and exceptional nature of the measures.

This regulatory support comes as IndiGo works to normalize its operations following technical, rostering, and operational challenges that disrupted travel across major hubs including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Pune. Passengers are being urged to monitor official communications from the airline for updates on flight schedules, cancellations, and alternate arrangements as recovery efforts continue.