India’s top airlines have raised objections to the DGCA’s draft cabin crew rest rules, calling them more restrictive than global standards and lacking operational flexibility.
IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, through the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), have written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) seeking changes to the draft Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on Cabin Crew Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), issued in October 2025.
The FIA urged the regulator to adopt “globally-harmonised, evidence-based and operationally practical provisions”. The airlines argued that Indian norms should align with international standards and offer flexibility for varied operating models.
A key concern is how fatigue is measured. The airlines said fatigue management should primarily be based on “flight duty period” — the total time from reporting for duty until release — rather than just flight time. They have opposed strict cumulative caps and direct linkage to the number of landings, saying such limits may not effectively address fatigue and could complicate crew scheduling.
The FIA described the proposed CAR framework as more restrictive than global standards and said it does not sufficiently account for the diversity of airline operations.
On rest facilities, the grouping recommended focusing on the quality of rest instead of rigid room norms. It suggested allowing twin-sharing accommodation under operator-defined guidelines. According to the airlines, global best practice places greater emphasis on adequate rest during local night hours and alignment with natural body clocks, rather than the physical location of rest.
The pushback comes as revised FDTL norms for pilots are yet to be fully implemented and remain under legal challenge. With recent IndiGo operational disruptions still fresh, airlines appear cautious about adopting stricter cabin crew norms without wider consultation.
