Madras HC asks DGCA if IndiGo flight duty exemptions will continue

The Madras High Court has asked the aviation regulator to clarify whether IndiGo's pilot fatigue exemptions will be extended, after a petition challenged the December 5 relief as illegal

The Madras High Court has sought clarity from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on whether it intends to continue the recent exemptions granted to IndiGo from some flight duty norms, reported Bar and Bench.

 

A bench of Justice V Lakshminarayanan directed the DGCA to file a response while hearing a petition filed by a Chennai resident, Y R Rajaveni, who has sought a stay on the exemptions, terming them “illegal” and “unconstitutional”.

 

What’s the case?

The petition challenges a December 5, 2025, exemption granted by the DGCA to IndiGo from complying with certain pilot fatigue management provisions under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).

 

 

The exemption permitted the airline to defer compliance with paragraphs 3.11 and 6.14 of the CAR for a specific class of aircraft. These provisions impose stricter limits on flight duty hours, including limiting night operations, landings, and mandatory rest periods for flight crew, the report added.

 

The petitioner stated that under the provisions of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, any direction or exemption issued by the DGCA must be consistent with the parent legislation, the Aircraft Act, 1934. It further argued that the recent exemption was in contradiction of the said rule.

 

The petitioner further contended that the CAR rules on managing pilot fatigue are compulsory and integral to a regulatory framework designed to protect both flight crews and passengers. Granting an exemption from these requirements amounts to impermissibly rewriting binding safety regulations, the petitioner added.

 

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan, appearing for the DGCA, submitted that the exemption was granted after taking into account IndiGo’s inability to immediately comply with the revised requirements, which had led to large-scale flight cancellations.

 

The petitioner, however, alleged that the exemption was linked to the airline’s expansion and was granted without due regard to the CAR.

 

The court directed the aviation regulator to file its response by January 5, clarifying whether the exemption would be extended beyond the period already granted.

 

The matter has been posted for further hearing on January 6.

 

The case comes against the backdrop of recent disruptions in the aviation sector caused by the cancellation of over 4,000 IndiGo flights between December 1 and 9, mainly due to difficulties in the implementation of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. The budget carrier is currently facing multiple investigations and flight reductions due to the chaos caused during this time.

 

While granting the exemptions on December 5, the DGCA had said it suspended the new rules as a one-time measure to stabilise the national aviation network and restore passenger services. The exemption, valid until February 10, is “solely” to stabilise flight operations and should not be seen as a dilution of safety, it said, adding that it reserves the right to withdraw the relief at any time.

 

To stabilise operations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA had also directed IndiGo to cut its flight schedule by 10 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively.