Overview
- India granted IndiGo a temporary exemption from new night-duty limits and changed how weekly rest is counted, after the carrier failed to plan for a Nov. 1 rollout of stricter rest rules.
- Reuters reports at least 2,000 IndiGo flights were canceled this month, with the airline holding roughly 65% of the domestic market.
- The All India Loco Running Staff Association is urging an FRMS-based roster with a six-hour daily duty cap, no more than two consecutive night duties, predictable schedules, 16 hours of rest after each shift, and weekly rest.
- The union cites a large staffing gap in Indian Railways—about 1.47 lakh sanctioned loco pilots versus roughly 1.15 lakh in place—and says recruitment underway will take time to ease fatigue pressures.
- AILRSA points to unimplemented safety recommendations, court orders on rest and job analysis, and alleges double standards in enforcement as it pushes Railways to adopt science-based duty rules aligned with the national FRMS framework.