Exclusive | IndiGo's Rahul Bhatia says pilot duty rules make Indian airlines less competitive

India's pilot flight duty and rest regulations (FDTL) need to strike the right balance between safety and competitiveness if the country wants to emerge as a global aviation hub, Rahul Bhatia, Managing Director of InterGlobe Aviation, told CNBC-TV18, arguing that the current framework reduces cockpit productivity and raises operating costs for airlines.

Indian airlines need globally competitive regulations

Speaking in an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18, Bhatia said safety should remain paramount but cautioned against regulations that leave Indian airlines at a competitive disadvantage compared with their global peers.

"Our only appeal to the government has been that when it looks at FDTL regulations, it should do so through two lenses. First, we must adopt global best practices," he said.

"But if we put regulations in place that, under the guise of improving safety, actually make the industry as a whole uncompetitive because they reduce cockpit productivity, then that is something we need to examine."

Bhatia said India cannot simultaneously aspire to become a leading international aviation hub while saddling domestic airlines with a higher cost base than overseas competitors.

"You cannot, on the one hand, aspire for India to become a global aviation hub and, on the other, expect its airlines to compete with the rest of the world while operating with an uncompetitive cost structure."

When asked whether the current FDTL framework makes Indian aviation less competitive, Bhatia replied, "In terms of cockpit productivity, absolutely."

IndiGo says operations have improved since December disruption

The comments come months after IndiGo faced widespread operational disruptions in December, prompting scrutiny from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which cited operational deficiencies, optimisation being stretched beyond limits and inadequate preparedness for the implementation of revised FDTL norms.

Bhatia acknowledged that the disruption should not have happened but said the airline had taken corrective measures and significantly improved operational performance.

"We have now been flying for six months since December, and our punctuality has never been better," he said.

"This is an industry where you earn your wings every single day. We operate more than 2,000 flights a day, and I think the machine runs fairly smoothly."

According to Bhatia, the disruption resulted from multiple factors occurring simultaneously, including the implementation of FDTL regulations, a fleet-wide technology upgrade and volcanic ash-related operational challenges.

"I've gone on record to say that December should never have happened. It's not something our customers deserved. It's not something our frontline employees deserved," he said.

Leadership changes aimed at accountability and resilience

Bhatia said leadership changes introduced in recent months were intended both to hold executives accountable for the December disruptions and prepare the airline for its next phase of growth.

"The changes we have seen over the last three or four months have been driven by two things. Some of them are about preparing this company for the future, while some are about holding people accountable for what happened in December."

He added that the airline's focus remains on building a more resilient organisation capable of supporting its long-term expansion plans.

"There is a mix. It's not about one thing or the other. It's really about taking stock of what happened, which should not have happened, while also building resilience in the organisation for the future."