As IndiGo continues to face an unprecedented number of flight cancellations, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has offered the airline temporary, one-time exemptions from certain night-operation provisions under the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules. These relaxations apply to IndiGo’s Airbus A320 fleet and will remain in effect until February 10. The regulator clarified that the exemptions were granted only to support operational stabilisation and should not be viewed as a reduction in safety standards.

The airline has been dealing with widespread disruptions throughout the week, with more than a thousand flights cancelled on Friday alone. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said the airline expects its schedule to return to normal between December 10 and 15.

Alongside the DGCA’s support, the government has stepped in with an official inquiry into the disruption. Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said the investigation will look into what triggered the collapse in operations, identify accountability, and outline corrective steps to ensure such passenger hardships are not repeated. Later in the evening, the DGCA announced a four-member panel to conduct a complete review of the situation, with a report expected in 15 days.

The new FDTL framework, introduced in two phases from July and November was designed to strengthen fatigue management for pilots, a crucial aspect of aviation safety. Pilot groups have criticised the DGCA’s decision to grant exemptions to IndiGo and have demanded that the relief be withdrawn. Responding to this, the DGCA urged pilots and associations to support stable operations during this peak travel period, minimise avoidable delays, and maintain close coordination with airlines. The regulator reiterated its commitment to flight safety and to enforcing the new FDTL rules “in letter and spirit.”

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers also issued a video statement apologising to passengers, calling it the “most severely impacted day” for the airline so far. He explained that a full system and schedule reboot was carried out to enable gradual improvement.

“…we decided today for a reboot of all our systems and schedules, resulting in the highest number of cancellations so far, but imperative for progressive improvements starting tomorrow onwards. With these actions, we expect tomorrow to have cancellations below 1,000. The support of DGCA, in providing specific FDTL implementation relief, is of great help,” Elbers said.