RAS question
Approximately how many flights did IndiGo cancel between December 2–12, 2025 due to non-compliance with the new FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitation) rules?
Correct answer: (C) 4,500 flights.
IndiGo cancelled approximately 4,500 flights between December 2 and 12, 2025 after its crew scheduling failed to comply with the new Flight Duty Time Limitation rules.
Explanation
IndiGo's cancellations were not a routine weather or airport issue; they came from a crew-availability shock after the new Flight Duty Time Limitation framework took effect. The airline had not adapted crew scheduling to the revised rules, which raised mandatory weekly pilot rest from 36 to 48 hours and limited night landings to two per pilot per week. Hindustan Times reported that IndiGo had cancelled more than 4,500 flights as the crisis entered its seventh day, and linked the disruption to strict FDTL enforcement and inadequate crew rostering arrangements. That is why 4,500 flights is the only option that matches both the scale of cancellations and the regulatory cause. DGCA later ordered a 10% schedule cut and imposed a Rs 22.20 crore penalty.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 800 flights understates the disruption; Hindustan Times and the scheduling-rule context both place the cancellations at roughly 4,500, not in the hundreds.
- (B) 2,000 flights is less than half the stated scale and does not match the reported figure of more than 4,500 cancellations.
- (D) 6,200 flights overshoots the reported figure, which points to approximately 4,500 cancellations.
Concept
This tests current-affairs-linked Indian Economy through civil aviation regulation, especially how labour and safety rules can affect transport capacity. It recurs in RAS because aviation disruptions connect regulators, large firms, consumer impact and service-sector governance.