Yes, IndiGo is responsible for the current meltdown. But so is the DGCA

By Minoo Wadia

The collapse of IndiGo’s operations under the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) was entirely avoidable. The requirement to implement the revised FDTL rules was communicated to all airlines two years ago, in January 2024. Two years is an eternity. And the FDTLs are not a perk. It is not simply a rest period for pilots. It is a safety mandate, grounded in decades of global research establishing a direct relationship between pilot fatigue and errors. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), upheld by high court rulings, had full authority to enforce it. Which brings us to the question: What exactly were the airlines doing for two years?

Because what we have witnessed in the first week of December is a tsunami. It goes far beyond the “inconvenience” of pas