The disruption stems from new regulatory norms on flight-duty and rest times for pilots and crew — officially known as Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which took effect on November 1. The rules substantially increase mandatory rest periods and sharply limit night-time landings for crews.
Under FDTL, pilots now require a weekly rest period of 48 hours (up from 36), and flights involving night landings are restricted: a crew can perform only two night-landings in a roster period — down from six earlier.
Because of these changes, many of IndiGo’s previously scheduled flights could not be staffed legally, leading to widespread roster disruption.
IndiGo operates an extremely large network — over 2,200 flights daily, including many late-night and high-frequency routes. This scale made it especially vulnerable when rest-rule enforcement cut usable crew hours sharply.
The airline’s previous business model heavily relied on maximizing crew utilization, frequent night flights and quick turnarounds — all of which became incompatible with the new FDTL requirements.
Meanwhile, internal planning and roster adjustments at IndiGo appear to have lagged significantly. The airline did not increase crew strength in time, despite the regulatory lead-time before FDTL kick-in. This mis-planning has been strongly criticized by pilot associations.