The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) informed the Delhi High Court on Friday that no airline in India has been granted any exemption from the mandatory weekly rest requirements for pilots. The aviation regulator clarified that pilots are entitled to non-negotiable weekly rest periods and that these provisions remain firmly in place.
Appearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia, DGCA’s counsel stated that no airline has received indefinite relaxation under the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms. The regulator confirmed that only IndiGo was granted limited relaxation for night operations, and that too only until February 10.
The submission came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that questioned whether airlines were being allowed prolonged exemptions from the implementation of new rules governing weekly rest and leave for pilots. The court has issued notices to the Centre, the DGCA, and IndiGo, seeking responses to the plea, which raises concerns related to aviation safety, regulatory oversight, monopolistic practices, passenger rights, and consumer protection.
The PIL challenges the DGCA’s decision to suspend the new FDTL norms following widespread flight disruptions in December 2025. These norms, which came into effect on November 1, mandate compulsory rest periods for pilots and prohibit substitution of weekly rest with leave. However, after significant cancellations and delays, the DGCA issued an order on December 5, allowing temporary exemptions to help airlines stabilise operations.
During the hearing, the court asked the DGCA to explain the rationale behind withdrawing the new norms, particularly the provision stating that weekly rest cannot be replaced by leave. The regulator noted that the temporary relaxation was intended to address operational disruptions, especially at IndiGo, which had cited unpreparedness to implement the new duty norms at the time.
The plea, filed by Sabari Roy Lenka, seeks quashing of the December 5 DGCA order and calls for stricter enforcement of fatigue-management regulations under the Civil Aviation Requirements, 2024. It also urges the regulator to restrain airlines from describing themselves as “low-cost carriers,” arguing that such classification has no legal basis under Indian aviation law and misleads passengers.
The High Court has listed the matter for further hearing in four weeks, as it continues to examine the balance between operational efficiency and aviation safety standards.
