Pilots’ Body Slams DGCA Fine on IndiGo, Calls Penalty “Inadequate”

The pilots’ association representing Aviators at IndiGo has criticised India’s civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), for imposing a ₹22.2 crore penalty on the airline over flight disruptions and operational irregularities, calling the fine inadequate and urging stronger enforcement on rostering and duty-time compliance.

The disagreement stems from the DGCA’s recent action against IndiGo, which faulted the airline for widespread delays, cancellations and violations of flight duty-time limits that contributed to schedule instability across its large domestic network. The regulator had found that pilot rostering lapses and weak schedule planning were key contributors to the disruptions that affected passengers and operational performance. The fine followed a detailed DGCA inquiry into the airline’s scheduling and rostering practices.  

However, the pilots’ union, which represents cockpit crew members across multiple carriers, has publicly criticised the quantum of the penalty. Union leadership argued that the fine does not go far enough to address what they describe as systemic issues in rostering and schedule planning that repeatedly expose pilots to excessive duty hours and marginal rest periods. According to the union, lax rostering practices are not only an operational concern but also a safety risk, as fatigue management is foundational to flight crew performance and compliance with international safety norms.

Representatives of the pilots’ body said in statements that while they welcome regulatory oversight, the fine should be accompanied by clear directives and timelines for IndiGo to rectify underlying practices. The union is pushing for enforceable commitments on roster reform, reserve pilot allocations and limits on consecutive duty periods, asserting that punitive levies alone are insufficient to catalyse real operational change.

IndiGo, India’s largest domestic carrier by daily flights and fleet size, has acknowledged the DGCA’s regulatory order and reiterated its commitment to compliance and customer service. The airline has said it will work on enhancing rostering practices and operational controls to mitigate future disruptions, while also complying with consumer welfare directives tied to passenger refunds and entitlements under civil aviation rules.

The dispute highlights ongoing tensions in India’s aviation sector between operational scale, regulatory compliance and crew welfare. Airlines that operate dense flight schedules rely on complex roster optimisation systems that balance crew availability, duty-time limits and regulatory rest requirements; disruptions in any element can ripple across the network and erode punctuality and reliability metrics.

Pilots’ associations argue that compliance should extend beyond nominal roster rules to embrace fatigue risk management systems that are data-driven and aligned with international best practice. They suggest that regulators should require airline operators to adopt predictive rostering and reserve planning tools that can identify stress points in duty cycles before they materialise in disruptive delays.

From the regulatory perspective, DGCA’s emphasis on enforcing duty-time and roster discipline reflects broader safety imperatives. Airline schedule reliability, passenger satisfaction and crew welfare are interconnected, and civil aviation authorities globally have revisited fatigue risk standards in response to growth in flight frequencies and complexity of airline operations.

Passenger groups have also weighed in on the debate, noting that consistent delays and cancellations have real economic and travel experience impacts. There is growing public discussion in India over the balance between competitive pricing, dense flight schedules and operational robustness, particularly as domestic air travel continues to expand.

Analysts observing the sector say that IndiGo’s response to both regulatory penalties and industry criticism could set precedents for how other carriers prioritise roster compliance and workforce planning. As India’s aviation market evolves, robust fatigue risk management and transparent scheduling policies are likely to be focal points for regulators, airlines and employee organisations alike.

The outcome of this dispute may influence future regulatory guidelines, airline rostering standards and union-regulator engagement on safety-critical scheduling issues as the industry navigates the twin demands of safety and efficiency.