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On Friday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) informed the Delhi High Court that the requirement for pilots to have a weekly rest period is non-negotiable, and no airline has received an exemption from this rule.

During the proceedings before Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, the DGCA's legal representative emphasized that the mandate for weekly rest remains in effect and has not been rescinded.

This statement was made in response to a petition that contested the DGCA's decision to halt the implementation of new flight duty-time regulations following significant disruptions in airline operations last December.

In January 2024, the DGCA introduced revised Flight Duty Time Limit norms due to concerns regarding pilot fatigue, which were scheduled to take effect on June 1.

However, airlines requested a postponement of these changes due to staffing shortages and operational difficulties, leading to the new regulations being implemented on November 1 instead.

The updated rules mandated longer weekly rest periods, restricted night landings, expanded the definition of night hours, and limited consecutive night shifts.

As these new regulations were enforced, air travel faced severe disruptions in December, with IndiGo canceling or delaying numerous flights due to a lack of pilots and crew, which also resulted in soaring ticket prices on various routes.

To mitigate these travel disruptions, the DGCA temporarily suspended the new flight duty-time regulations and granted airlines exemptions until early February 2026, allowing them time to adjust their schedules to comply with the new government rules.

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court requested the DGCA's position regarding a petition that challenged the suspension of the weekly rest norms.

In its response on Friday, the DGCA reiterated that no airline had been exempted from the weekly rest requirement, asserting that this rule remains intact.

The DGCA's counsel clarified that a limited exemption had been provided to IndiGo for night operations, which will be valid until February 10.

Despite certain provisions of the Flight Duty Time Limitation norms being suspended on December 5, the requirement for pilots to have weekly rest remains mandatory under the existing Civil Aviation Requirements.

The court subsequently issued notices to the Union government, the DGCA, and IndiGo, requesting their responses on this matter.

The case is scheduled for further hearings in April.