DGCA Eases Flight Duty Rules For All Airlines?

• DGCA grants IndiGo A320 fleet temporary FDTL exemption amid flight cancellations.
• IndiGo cancelled over 800 flights Saturday, addressing refunds on priority.
• Ministry directs IndiGo to complete refunds by Sunday, deliver baggage in 48 hours.

New Delhi: The relaxation in new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms is just a temporary one time exemption to IndiGo airlines A320 fleet only and not

for all flight operations or other airlines, says a directive from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). A confusion was persisting since Friday after the aviation watchdog announced that it was putting new flight norms in abeyance amid the IndiGo’s operational crisis, its worst in history which has so far seen over 2,000 flights being cancelled in the past four days, leaving lakhs of passengers stranded at major airpots across the country. A DGCA note clearly says that the exemption is granted solely to facilitate operational stabilisation and shall not be construed as dilution of safety requirements. In its directive, the DGCA said, "…Accordingly in public interest, DGCA hereby grants a temporary one time exemption to IndiGo for A320 fleet operations from the following provisions of the revised FDTL Civil Aviation Requirements Section 7 Series J Part III Rev 2 …" Therefore, all the key provisions of the new FDTL norms including duty hours, night charts, rest requirements and cumulative lists, full remain in force.

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How Many Flights IndiGo Cancelled On Saturday Meanwhile on Saturday, IndiGo has said it cancelled over 800 flights, much lower than Friday's number of more than 1,000, and it is addressing all customer refund issues on "priority". The airline, which has been granted major relaxations by the DGCA in the second phase of the new flight duty and rest period norms for pilots, after it told the aviation safety regulator that it was facing significant transitional challenges in roster planning and crew availability under Phase-2 FDTL requirements, also said it is working "determinedly" to bring its operations back on track across the network. "The number of cancellations on Saturday dropped below 850 flights, much lower compared to Friday. We are continuing to work towards reducing this number progressively over the next few days," IndiGo said in a statement.

IndiGo Focussed on Stabilising Flight Schedule

The airline's teams are focused on stabilising schedules, reducing delays, and supporting customers through this period, it said, adding, "We are also working closely with all airports and partners to ensure timely updates are provided to customers at terminals, on our website, and via direct notifications."

For refund assistance, the airline said, customers can visit its website or contact the customer support.

Earlier in the morning, the civil aviation ministry directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for cancelled flights by Sunday evening, and ensure baggage separated from travellers are delivered in the next two days following large-scale disruption in its services.

The ministry said any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will invite immediate regulatory action.

The refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be completed by 8 pm on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

"Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations," it said.

IndiGo has also been instructed to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells.

"The system of automatic refunds will remain active until operations stabilise completely," the statement said.
Further, the ministry said the airline should ensure that baggage separated from passengers due to flight cancellations or delays should be traced and delivered to them within the next 48 hours.

With inputs from PTI