New Airlines Starting Process: India’s aviation sector is once again in a phase of major change. Modi government has taken a big step amidst the concerns arising about Indigo crisis and less options in the market. By giving permission to three new airlines to fly, the Central Government has given a clear indication that now competition will increase and passengers will get more options. The Civil Aviation Ministry has issued No Objection Certificate to Shankha Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress.

India is already one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world and the government wants a strong multi-airline system to develop here instead of duopoly. This is the reason why emphasis is being laid on promoting new companies. If you want, you can also start your own airline, know what will be the process for this.

Which three airlines got approval?

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that recently he met the teams of the three proposed airlines. Shankha Air had already received NOC from the ministry. Whereas Al Hind Air and FlyExpress have been approved this week. Now these airlines will complete the next phase under the DGCA process.

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Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that the aim of the ministry is to promote as many new airlines as possible. This will bring balance in ticket prices and strengthen the connectivity of small cities. Small airlines like Star Air, IndiaOne Air and Fly 91 have already got a boost through the UDAN scheme. Now new companies will expand this network further.

How can you also start your own airline?

If any person or company wants to start an airline in India. So there is a fixed process for this. First of all one has to apply for NOC from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. For this, it is necessary for the company to be Indian, have fixed minimum capital and fleet plan. After this, air operator certificate has to be obtained from DGCA. In which safety, maintenance, pilot training and operational capability are examined.

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The government’s focus is now on local connectivity. Therefore, airlines operating on short routes and tier two cities are getting a special boost. For example, Shankha Air of Uttar Pradesh will initially start services from Lucknow to Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Indore and Dehradun. This shows that with proper planning, opportunities for new airlines are continuously increasing. If you want, you can start your own airline.

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The Central Government has now adopted a tough stance to curb the arbitrary behavior of the airlines. Considering the problems of the passengers, the government has said that action will be taken. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said that the government is not going to make any kind of compromise. It is not a matter of technical glitches. This is about accountability. Such action will be taken that it will set an example for future.

What did the Aviation Minister say?

Naidu has said that the government will take such steps that it will set an example for the entire aviation sector. He has said that such action will be taken that no aviation operator will be able to take the ministry lightly.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in a conversation with Aaj Tak that all kinds of financial and punitive actions will be taken. A high level committee is investigating for this. After the entire process is completed, specific steps will be taken. The entire incident and responsibility is of Indigo. It also raised questions as to why the problem started only from December 3, when the rules were already in place.

He said that how this happened is very surprising. Indigo is a big airline. After working on OTP for 20 years, their performance falling below two points is a matter of concern.

Relief to Indigo from DGCA

A large number of Indigo flights have been canceled on Saturday also. More than 800 flights of airlines have been cancelled. However, this is much less than the canceled flights in the past few days. She is refunding the customers. Along with this, the airlines have said that they are trying to normalize their operations again. DGCA has relaxed the new flight duty and rest period rules. While sharing its problems, the airlines had said that they are facing serious challenges regarding roster planning and crew shortage.

Government’s strict instructions on refund
Here, the Aviation Ministry has given strict instructions to the airline in the refund matter. There are orders to refund tickets of all canceled flights by Sunday evening. If the airline does not refund, immediate action will be taken. Refunds for all flights must be made by 8 pm on Sunday night.

India’s largest airline IndiGo, which flies more than 1 crore passengers every month, is going through its worst phase for the last 10-12 days. In the beginning of December suddenly 400-600 flights started getting canceled every day. There was uproar at big airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Indore. People stood in queues for hours, ticket prices doubled and tripled and anger erupted on social media. The question in everyone’s mind is what is happening with Indigo?

Government has taken 7 major actions so far in Indigo case

1. On 4 December 2025, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu held a major review meeting. This included senior management of MoCA, DGCA, AAI and Indigo. The minister said that passenger facilities should be taken full care of and the situation should be brought back to normal immediately.
2. Understanding the operational problems of IndiGo, DGCA gave a one-time relaxation, which will provide flexibility in some FDTL rules till 10 February 2026. DGCA will review this exemption every 15 days and will take continuous improvement reports from IndiGo. Especially on crew shortage and hiring.
3. DGCA has appealed to all pilot associations to extend full support to IndiGo in view of the huge demand during winter vacation and wedding season.
4. DGCA gave further relief to IndiGo by allowing pilots who were currently engaged in training or other work to be sent for flying duty. Currently, 12 FOIs (DGCA officers who are themselves on deputation from IndiGo) have also been allowed to fly for a week.
5. 12 licensed FOIs of IndiGo, who have less seniority, have been relieved from flying duty by DGCA. So that they can help in the investigation and inspection of DGCA.
6. DGCA has also deployed its team in IndiGo’s control center, which is monitoring the flights in real time. Especially on delays, cancellations and passenger convenience.
7. DGCA has formed a four-member inquiry committee, which will find out why such a major operational lapse took place in IndiGo. The committee will also decide who had what responsibility and how effective the measures for further improvement are.

There was a mess due to the new rules of the government
The new pilot duty rules (FDTL Phase-2) of the Central Government came into force and IndiGo was not at all prepared for it. The Pilot Union filed a petition in the Delhi High Court in January 2024. In this, the issue of flight safety was raised due to excessive working hours and fatigue of pilots. After the order of the High Court, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) made changes in the Flight Duty Time Limitation i.e. FDTL rules. These rules were to be implemented in two parts.

On July 1, 2025, Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules were implemented to give rest to the pilots. Under this, it was made mandatory for airline companies to give pilots 48 hours of rest instead of 36 hours a week, i.e. two days weekly rest. During this period, there was a ban on counting any holiday as weekly rest. The objective was very good that the less tired the pilot is, the safer the flight will be. But these rules reduced the availability of pilots by 15-20%.

In the second phase of FDTL, from November 1, DGCA had also banned continuous night shifts of pilots and other crew members.

• Earlier, rest was available for 36 hours in a week, now 48 hours is mandatory. This means each pilot can fly about one day less in a week.
• Night duty was earlier considered to be from 12 noon to 5 am, now till 6 am. That means one more hour more.
• A pilot can do only 2 night landings in a week, earlier there was a relaxation of up to 6.
• Night duty cannot be done for more than two consecutive nights.
• The most dangerous rule was that if the flight went on for even 1 minute after 12 o’clock in the night, then the entire duty was considered as night duty and the pilot would not be able to fly 1-2 flights in the morning the next day.

This meant only one thing: a pilot is no longer able to fly as many flights as he could before.

1700 flights canceled in last 4 days
In the DGCA meeting, IndiGo itself admitted that it had miscalculated the actual need of pilots. Made a mistake in assuming that crew availability will reduce after the implementation of the new rules. There were delays and shortcomings in making the roster and preparations for Phase-2 were incomplete. After the introduction of new rules, Indigo could not overcome the shortage of pilots and other staff and in the last 4 days Indigo canceled more than 1700 flights.

Maximum 225 flights have been canceled in Delhi. 32 flights were canceled in Pune. 197 flights were canceled at Hyderabad Airport in 3 days, while 155 flights were canceled at Shamshabad Airport. Bengaluru: 102 flights have been cancelled.

The new rules have the biggest impact on Indigo.

The entire business model of IndiGo is based on more flights, lower prices and faster turnout. More than 70% of its flights operate at night or till late night. There are frequent flights on short routes. When the new rules came, there was a sudden shortage of pilots.

The biggest mistake was that despite getting 18-20 months time, IndiGo did not increase the number of pilots as per the new rules. Rest of the airlines like Air India, Vistara and Akasa Air had already recruited pilots. Indigo could not manage this change.

As a result, hundreds of flights were canceled every day from the last week of November to the first week of December. Thousands of passengers remained stranded at the airport hungry and thirsty for 24 hours. Flight fares have skyrocketed. The company’s shares fell by 10-12% in the stock market.

The government found a middle solution
DGCA had to bow down due to severe problems of passengers and fear of collapse of the entire aviation system. Giving immediate relief on 5 December 2025, it was announced that now if the flight leaves even a little after 12 midnight, it will not be considered as full night duty. This means that the pilot will be able to fly the morning flight the next day comfortably. The decision of not giving any leave in lieu of weekly rest was withdrawn. The Civil Aviation Minister has directed all the airlines to give full refund in case of flight cancellation. Also, the stranded people have been asked to make proper arrangements to stay in hotels.

But this exemption was not given for free. DGCA has kept strict vigil on Indigo-

• Every 15 days, a complete report will have to be given as to how many pilots were increased and how the roster was corrected.
• Within 30 days, a complete roadmap will have to be given as to how the new rules will be followed 100% by 10 February 2026.
• There will not be even an inch of relaxation in all other safety related rules.

Then what will happen next?
Indigo has apologized and said that most of the flights will become normal by 10-15 December and everything will be completely fine by January. The company is now rapidly hiring pilots and changing the rostering system. But this whole matter has given a big lesson that aviation in India is growing so fast that only one company has more than 60% of the market. If it falters, the entire aviation system falters. Now the government and other airlines have also understood that thousands of new pilots and hundreds of new aircraft are needed in the next 5 years, otherwise such crises will occur again and again.

Cancellation of Indigo Airlines flights for the fourth consecutive day at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Telangana broke the patience of passengers. More than 197 flights have been canceled since the crisis started on December 2. This included 31 flights on 3 December, 68 flights on 4 December and 92 flights on 5 December. Technical glitches, crew shortage, absence of pilots and airport congestion brought the entire network to a standstill. DGCA has started investigation, but passengers are not being given complete information nor are there any other options.

Passengers stranded at airport hungry and thirsty for 24 hours
Thousands of passengers from many states and countries are stranded at the airport for more than 24 hours. A 70-year-old couple returning from Mumbai to Hyderabad was kept at the gate for 14 hours, neither did they get food nor a place to stay. A passenger said, ‘Our luggage had been checked-in, but due to cancellation of flights, we remained stuck here. Now waiting for the goods for 16 hours.

A group going to Pune had to take alternative routes by cab and train, while a businessman arriving in London complained that he was supposed to reach home on the morning of December 5, but was stuck at the airport for 24 hours, hungry and thirsty. Many passengers reached the airport directly from the hospital, but their plans were ruined due to flight cancellation.

Devotees were delayed in reaching the temple, did not get darshan
The biggest problem is being faced by the devotees who were going for darshan in many cities. More than 50 devotees, who arrived on time for the annual festival of Sabarimala temple, had come from several states in South India. A devotee said, ‘The time to visit the temple has passed. Due to the delay of Indigo Airlines, questions are being raised on faith. Devotees have been protesting at the gate for the last 12 hours, but there is no result.

Passengers and staff clash at the airport
Passengers waiting for several hours clashed with the airport staff, due to which security forces had to be deployed. In a video, passengers were raising slogans of ‘Give food, give hotel’. Indigo issued a statement citing glitches in operations, but did not give any specific time. RGIA tweeted on X and advised to contact the airlines, but the ground staff has no response.

155 flights canceled at Shamshabad airport
This is the situation not only at Hyderabad Airport but also at Shamshabad Airport. 155 flights have been canceled from Shamshabad airport in the last 4 days. According to airport sources, so far 84 departure and 71 arrival flights have been cancelled. Indigo Airlines has canceled the maximum number of flights. The airport administration has appealed for cooperation, but it is becoming difficult to control the angry passengers.

Anger among passengers had increased due to continuous cancellation and huge delays of Indigo flights across the country. Thousands of people remained stranded at airports and it had a major impact on the country’s aviation network. Amidst this pressure, DGCA admitted that the Phase-2 FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) rules have suddenly reduced crew availability. IndiGo failed to accurately estimate its actual requirement as per the new guidelines and this led to widespread operational disruptions across the country. After severe inconvenience to the passengers, DGCA decided that it is necessary to provide temporary relief to stabilize the national air network.

IndiGo told DGCA that after the implementation of the new FDTL rules, its planning and rostering was not as strong as it should have been. The new calculation of night shift duty, rest time and duty hours suddenly dropped the number of available crews. The airline admitted that it had miscalculated the need for pilots and cabin crew, leading to a spate of cancellations. Indigo assured that it will soon recruit additional crew so that all the rules can be fully followed in the future.

Relief given by DGCA

The relief given by DGCA is related to two special rules. The first is Para 3.11, which regulates night duty from 12 midnight to 5 am. The second is Para 6.1.4, which prohibits flights that enter night-duty hours. Once these two rules are temporarily relaxed, it will be easier for IndiGo to run night flights without excessive restrictions and crew utilization will also improve.

The exemption will be effective till 10 February 2026

This exemption will remain effective till 10 February 2026, but conditions of strict inspection and monitoring have also been added to it. DGCA has directed the airline to submit a progress report every 15 days, which will include crew utilization, steps to increase availability, improvements in operations and the new rostering model. It is also mandatory to submit a detailed roadmap to IndiGo within 30 days, which should have clear instructions on crew management, scheduling and regulation compliance. DGCA has also made it clear that all other rules of FDTL will have to be strictly followed and no relaxation will be given in any other provision. DGCA can withdraw the relief at any time if the situation worsens or there is lack of compliance. This temporary relief from DGCA can give some balance to the airline industry for the time being and passengers are also expected to get relief from flight cancellations in the coming days.

Now what does the new provision say?
The new order has given a lot of flexibility to the airlines. If a pilot or cabin crew is given leave, it will be considered equivalent to weekly rest. This will allow airlines to prepare rosters without interruption and flight schedules will remain more stable.

How will passengers get the benefit?
The new change will directly provide relief to the passengers. The incidence of excessive delays and canceled flights will reduce. Airlines will be able to bring their daily operations back to normal speed, making the travel experience comfortable again.

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Due to the eruption of Hayli Gubbi volcano in Afar, Ethiopia on Sunday (23 November), the cloud of ash has spread eastwards and reached the Arabian Sea and India, which is directly affecting Indian flights. Due to this many flights have had to be cancelled.

‘We are in constant contact with the operating crew’
Air India posted on Twitter saying that we are monitoring this situation very closely and are in constant touch with our operating crew. We are making every effort to make alternative travel arrangements as soon as possible. It was told in the post that the safety of passengers, crew and aircraft is our top priority. Our ground teams will continue to provide assistance and updates to passengers on the network.

Indigo has also assured the passengers that after the volcanic eruption, there are reports of ash clouds moving towards western India. We understand that this news may cause concern, but your safety is our top priority. Our teams are monitoring the situation in coordination with international aviation bodies. We will continue to provide updates to minimize any inconvenience.

Airlines on alert
Akasa Air has canceled flights to Jeddah, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi on 24 and 25 November. Dutch Airlines has canceled its Amsterdam-Delhi (KL 871) and Delhi-Amsterdam (KL 872) flights. Indigo has assured the passengers that safety is the top priority and the situation is being constantly monitored.

DGCA has issued an advisory to airlines and airports to deal with the problems caused by the ash cloud emanating from volcanic activity in Ethiopia. Akasa Air, IndiGo and KLM are among the airlines that have canceled some flights due to the ash cloud.

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America’s major airline Alaska Airlines announced on Thursday (October 23, 2025) local time that it has temporarily stopped flights at all its airports. This step has been taken due to a technical glitch (IT Failure), due to which the operations of the airline were disrupted. According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), this decision has also affected Alaska Airlines’ subsidiary ‘Horizon Air’.

As per FAA advice, the airline requested a ground halt for approximately one hour and ten minutes, which ended at 0000 GMT (5:30 am IST). During this period, 71 flights were delayed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport alone.

Alaska Airlines is experiencing an IT outage affecting operations. A temporary ground stop is in place. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you’re scheduled to fly tonight, please check your flight status before heading to the airport.

— Alaska Airlines News (@AlaskaAirNews) October 23, 2025

What did the airline say?

Alaska Airlines issued a statement on social media: “Operations are being affected due to an IT glitch in our systems.” Flights have been temporarily stopped. We apologize for the inconvenience. The company requested passengers to check their flight status online before leaving for the airport.

Passengers’ complaints and company’s response

Many travelers took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to complain about technical issues with the booking and app. The airline responded that there is a technical glitch in our system, our IT team is working to fix it soon.” Similarly, many users faced problems in booking on the company’s website.

This happened in July also

This is not the first time Alaska Airlines has faced an IT outage. In July 2025, the company had to halt flights for about three hours when a technical glitch affected the entire system at 8 pm (Pacific Time). At that time, both Alaska and Horizon Air flights were grounded and the company did not disclose the exact cause of the outage.

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IndiGo fined Rs 20 lakh: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh on the country’s largest airline IndiGo for alleged lapses in pilot training. The company said that it is considering challenging this order before the appellate authority.

This action of DGCA has come at a time when serious flaws came to light in the investigation of Indigo’s training records. The investigation revealed that the Full Flight Simulator (FFS) training of nearly 1,700 pilots, including pilots-in-command and first officers, was not certified for high-risk airports — such as Calicut, Leh and Kathmandu.

What is the whole matter?

These airports have been placed in the “high-risk category” because the weather, runway conditions and geographical conditions here are extremely challenging. For this reason, DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh on IndiGo and has asked the company to improve the training process.

Indigo said in its information given to the stock market on Wednesday that it received a notice regarding the fine from DGCA on September 26. According to the regulator, this penalty has been imposed for alleged failure to use suitable simulators for training of pilots at Category ‘C’ airports.

Category ‘C’ airports are those places where access and operating conditions are challenging. DGCA says that Indigo failed to follow the training standards set for these airports.

Action has already been taken

The company said there was a delay in making this information public due to delays in internal communication. However, the airline clarified that this order will not have any impact on its financial position, operations or other activities. IndiGo said that it is committed to adhering to the highest standards of safety in the operation of its aircraft.

This is not the first time that DGCA has imposed fine on IndiGo. Even in the year 2023, the regulator had imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on the airline. At that time, a special audit had found many shortcomings in the operations, training and engineering departments of the company.

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People think it better to travel by air for long distance trips. The number of passengers traveling by air has also increased in the last few years. Most people have started seeing flight booking as a better option to travel long in a short time. Traveling with a flight is very comfortable, but it costs the same.

Now in such a situation, if you are traveling so expensive, then it is bound to get the same facilities. In such a situation, it is very important to know what facility will the airline provide to you during the flight and what are your rights during the journey in the flight. So let’s know …

Facilities available during flight

Traveling with a flight is very exciting, but many things are uncertain in it, due to which travelers often face troubles. These problems include flight delays, flight cancelling, overbooking problems or problems like losing the same. To avoid these problems, DGCA has made several rules for the convenience of passengers.

Flight delayed

If your flight is delayed for some reason for some reason, then the airline will have to provide you the facility of phone calls, food, stay and internet. On the other hand, if it is more than 24 hours, then you have every right to cancel your flight and take refund.

Flight when canceled

If the airline is canceling your flight, then they will have to refund the entire money or book any other flight, but if the bad weather is canceled due to air traffic control restrictions, or any other reason, then they are not bound to refund.

Divyang people rights

For the convenience of disabled passengers, the airline has to provide special wheelchairs. Along with this, disabled people can book facilities like priority boarding, escort service and medicine in advance.

When lost goods

If your luggage is lost during the journey, then the airlines will have to pay compensation according to the weight of the goods. On the other hand, if the goods are delayed, then you can ask for expenses for toiletry and other items. In case of equal breakdown, the airline will have to compensate for the loss. So the next time you travel by flight, then remember these rights so that you do not have any problem during the journey and you can experience a blissful journey.

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