Delhi High Court Questions DGCA on Pilot Rest Regulations

The Delhi High Court has raised concerns regarding the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) decision to indefinitely relax rules about weekly rest and leave for pilots. This inquiry follows a public interest litigation (PIL) questioning the rationale behind the DGCA’s withdrawal of a new flight-duty norm that stated, “no leave shall be substituted by weekly rest.”

During a hearing on March 15, 2024, a bench composed of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued a notice to the DGCA and IndiGo, requiring both parties to respond to the PIL within two weeks. The court’s scrutiny arises from a relaxation granted on December 5, 2025, allowing IndiGo to increase pilot availability to mitigate operational disruptions. This decision followed the airline’s cancellation of hundreds of flights in early December due to inadequate preparations for implementing the new flight-duty regulations.

The DGCA’s legal representative stated that the regulator has been monitoring conditions since the flight-duty time limitations (FDTL) came into effect on November 1, 2025. The decision to withdraw the new rule was based on feedback from airlines indicating that pilots were combining weekly rest days with leave. The representative emphasized that while the weekly rest remains a mandatory requirement governed by civil aviation regulations, the specifics of leave are governed by individual contracts between pilots and airlines.

In addition, the DGCA provided IndiGo with a temporary exemption from night duty regulations until February 10, 2024. The court questioned the inconsistency of this approach, particularly why the withdrawal of the non-substitution rule lacked a defined timeframe. The judges highlighted the apparent disparity in the DGCA’s decision-making process, noting that the relaxation for night duty was limited, while the withdrawal of the weekly rest norm was indefinite.

The court commented, “The grievance seems to be that leave and weekly off can’t be mixed up, which you have withdrawn because of disruption in one particular airline.” The judges demanded clarification on the rationale for the indefinite rule change and stressed that it affects all airlines.

Concerns over public safety have been voiced in previous hearings, particularly regarding the risks associated with pilot fatigue. The petitioners, Sabari Roy Lenka, Aman Monga, and Kiran Singh, argue that the DGCA’s relaxation of fatigue regulations was improperly granted only to IndiGo and suggest that it may have been made with ulterior motives.

The DGCA is mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organization to enforce fatigue regulations uniformly, which includes preventing unsafe rostering, ensuring adequate staffing, and assessing airline preparedness. The petitioners claim that the DGCA has repeatedly failed to implement these necessary frameworks.

The matter is scheduled for further discussion in April 2024, as the court continues to seek clarity on the implications of the DGCA’s decisions for pilots and aviation safety in general.