New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought an explanation from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over the “indefinite” relaxation granted to airlines on the implementation of revised norms governing pilots’ weekly rest and leave requirements.
Issuing notice on a public interest litigation, a bench comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked the aviation regulator to clarify the rationale behind withdrawing a key provision of the new flight duty time limitations that barred airlines from substituting pilots’ leave with weekly rest. The court directed the DGCA and airline IndiGo to submit their responses within two weeks.
The relaxation in question was issued on December 5, 2025, when the DGCA exempted airlines from certain provisions of the Flight Duty Time Limitations framework. The decision was taken amid widespread flight disruptions, particularly affecting IndiGo, which had cancelled hundreds of flights in early December after struggling to implement the revised duty norms that came into force on November 1, 2025.
During the hearing, counsel for the DGCA informed the court that the regulator had been closely monitoring the situation following the rollout of the new norms. She said the withdrawal of the provision on non-substitution of leave and weekly rest was based on the findings of an audit and representations received from airlines, which claimed pilots were clubbing the two types of offs. The counsel added that even after the relaxation, weekly rest remained mandatory under existing civil aviation requirements, while leave continued to be governed by contractual agreements between pilots and airlines.
The DGCA also told the court that a separate, time-bound relaxation from night duty norms had been granted to IndiGo through another letter issued on the same day, allowing the airline exemption until February 10.
The bench, however, expressed concern over the absence of a deadline for the relaxation related to weekly rest and leave norms. It questioned why one exemption linked to operational disruption was limited to a specific period, while the other was granted without any time frame and made applicable to all airlines. The court asked the regulator to explain the reasoning behind making the withdrawal open-ended.
The judges reiterated that concerns related to public safety and pilot fatigue could not be ignored, recalling their earlier observation that the non-implementation of fatigue-related regulations had serious implications.
The petition, filed by Sabari Roy Lenka, Aman Monga and Kiran Singh, alleges that the DGCA’s relaxation of fatigue norms was unlawfully extended only to IndiGo and appeared to be prima facie malafide. The plea further contends that the regulator has failed to uniformly enforce fatigue management standards mandated under the International Civil Aviation Organisation, including ensuring safe rostering practices, adequate staffing and suspension of non-compliant flight schedules.
The matter is scheduled to be heard next in April.
