Interglobe Aviation has implemented significant revisions to its pilot compensation structure, hiking allowances by up to ₹2,000 effective January 1, following severe flight disruptions caused by pilot rostering challenges. The country's largest airline faced operational chaos that forced cancellation of more than 1,600 flights on a single day due to inadequate planning in implementing revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

Latest Flight Cancellations

IndiGo cancelled 118 flights across its network on Monday due to bad weather and operational reasons. Of these cancellations, six flight services were cancelled due to operational reasons, while 112 flights were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions at various airports.

The airline issued a travel advisory stating that foggy conditions remain across Delhi and several airports in northern India, with visibility yet to improve fully. Flight departures and arrivals are being sequenced to ensure steady and orderly movement during the challenging weather conditions.

Comprehensive Allowance Revisions

The revised compensation structure introduces substantial increases across multiple allowance categories, with hikes ranging from ₹25 to ₹2,000. The changes specifically target domestic layover, deadhead, night allowances, and introduce a new tail-swap allowance category.

Weather Operations and DGCA Guidelines

The DGCA has announced the period between December 10 and February 10 as the official fog window this winter. As part of fog operations norms, airlines must mandatorily roster pilots trained to operate in low-visibility conditions and deploy CAT-IIIB-compliant aircraft fleet for such operations.

Category-III is an advanced navigation system that empowers aircraft to land under foggy conditions. Category-III-A enables landing with a runway visual range of 200 metres, while Category-III-B helps in landing with an RVR of under 50 metres.

Extended Duration and Additional Benefits

For layovers extending beyond 24 hours, captains will receive ₹150.00 per hour compared to ₹100.00 earlier, while first officers will get ₹75.00 instead of the previous ₹50.00. The airline has also doubled meal allowances during transit for captains from ₹500.00 to ₹1,000.00.

The introduction of tail-swap allowance addresses situations where scheduled aircraft are replaced with different aircraft, providing additional compensation for pilots managing these operational changes.

Strategic Response to Operational Challenges

Sources indicate that the latest hikes represent approximately 25.00% of the allowances that were reduced following the implementation of the second phase of FDTL norms. This suggests the airline is partially reversing previous cost-cutting measures while addressing pilot welfare concerns during the regulatory transition period.

The comprehensive allowance restructuring demonstrates IndiGo's recognition of pilot contributions during challenging operational periods and may serve to improve retention and satisfaction as the airline navigates both FDTL compliance requirements and weather-related operational disruptions.

Budget carrier Interglobe Aviation held nearly 64% of India's domestic airline market in November, before operations were severely disrupted in early December. The latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reveals the airline's dominant position just weeks before facing its worst operational crisis, which led to the cancellation of over 5,000 flights within seven days.

Market Performance Before Crisis

According to DGCA data released on Friday, IndiGo's market share stood at 63.90% in November, representing a 2% month-on-month decline. The country's overall monthly traffic increased significantly to 1.53 crore passengers in November, up nearly 7% from the preceding month.

On-Time Performance Rankings

Despite holding the largest market share, IndiGo's on-time performance (OTP) at six major airports ranked third among carriers. Akasa Air topped the chart with 72.20% OTP, followed by Air India Group at 69.10%, while IndiGo recorded 69.00% OTP across Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata airports.

DGCA Investigation Report Submitted

A four-member DGCA panel has submitted its confidential report to the Civil Aviation Ministry regarding IndiGo's operational meltdown in early December. The committee, formed on December 5, was tasked with assessing the circumstances that led to the massive disruption in the airline's operations during the first week of December. The panel was initially granted a 15-day period to submit its report, but the deadline was extended until December 26.

Crisis Triggers and Recovery

The near-breakdown in IndiGo's operations was triggered by the airline's inability to adapt to new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms. The regulations require pilots and cabin crew to get more rest, including 48-hour weekly breaks instead of the previous 36 hours, along with stricter limits on night landings. IndiGo restored its operations to normal levels by December 15 and has confirmed its preparedness to handle the winter holiday season travel boom, typically stretching from December 25 to January 1.