RAS question
DGCA ordered IndiGo to cut its winter flight schedule in December 2025 following a major disruption. What was the primary cause of IndiGo's scheduling crisis?
Correct answer: (B) Failure to adapt to new Crew Flight Time Limitation (CFTL) rules.
IndiGo's December 2025 scheduling crisis was primarily caused by its failure to adapt to the new Flight Duty Time Limitation norms for pilots and crew.
Explanation
IndiGo's crisis was not caused by airport fuel supplies, aircraft engines, or air traffic control. It followed the implementation of stricter Flight Duty Time Limitation norms. The disruption began on December 2, 2025, when IndiGo could not align its schedule with tighter pilot and crew duty-hour limits, leading to about 4,500 cancellations over ten days. Moneycontrol reported that, following the new FDTL norms and widespread disruptions since December 2, DGCA ordered IndiGo to submit a revised schedule with a 5% reduction across all sectors. DGCA also held that IndiGo had not shown the ability to operate its approved schedule efficiently.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Fuel shortage was not identified as a reason for the cancellations or DGCA's schedule cut; the disruption followed the new pilot and crew duty-hour rules.
- (C) Technical faults in aircraft engines do not explain the regulatory trigger; the disruption was linked to the new pilot and crew duty-hour rules and inefficient scheduling.
- (D) An air traffic controller shortage would point to airport or ATC capacity, but the crisis arose from IndiGo's inability to operate its approved schedule under the new FDTL regime.
Concept
This tests aviation safety regulation and how DGCA's operational rules affect airline scheduling. It recurs in RAS current-affairs questions because regulatory changes can quickly become public-service delivery and infrastructure-management issues.