If authorised, the airline would function round 2,175 every day flights—about 8% larger than the two,022 flights it flew final summer time.
This assumes significance because the revised goal is roughly 15% decrease than its earlier ambition of scaling as much as 2,550 every day departures, reflecting a extra cautious strategy amid pilot hiring necessities and stricter flight obligation time limitation (FDTL) norms.
Tempered growth
In its submission to the DGCAIndiGo indicated a spread of two,175 to 2,310 every day departures for the summer time season. The airline has instructed the regulator it’s “revisiting the schedule” and that “remaining numbers (are) prone to be nearer to the decrease finish of the vary,” a senior authorities official mentioned. Paperwork reviewed by Mint affirm the identical.
The moderated outlook marks a step again from its earlier aggressive projections of two,370 to 2,550 every day flights, which have been primarily based on anticipated fleet additions and better plane utilization. Up to date shows to the regulator mirror operational constraints, significantly round pilot availability, attrition, and compliance with revised FDTL security norms.
The capability moderation can also be anticipated to mirror in its monetary metrics. Because of the slower growth, IndiGo is anticipating a mid-single-digit progress in unit price (excluding gas and foreign exchange) for FY26. Administration expects accessible seat per kilometre (ASK)—a measure of passenger capability—to develop 10% within the fourth quarter, pushed primarily by worldwide locations.
Nonetheless, a low-to-mid-single-digit decline in passenger income per accessible seat kilometre (PRASK) is predicted on a excessive year-ago base owing to Maha Kumbh-related visitors, brokerage Motilal Oswal mentioned in a observe following IndiGo’s January Q3 earnings announcement.
“Regardless of near-term challenges within the type of diminished capability, capped costs, rupee depreciation, and rising damp leases, Indigo stays assured in its progress technique as India’s home community stays the spine, with increasing worldwide connectivity,” the brokerage mentioned in its January observe.
Owned by InterGlobe Aviation, IndiGo stays India’s largest airline with a 59.6% market share. The Tata-backed Air India group—comprising Air India and Air India Categorical—is the second-largest with practically 30% share. Akasa Water and SpiceJet path behind.
In a compliance and corrective motion plan shared with the regulator, IndiGo additionally referred to a possible discount of as much as 250 flights per day from April 2026 to make sure full FDTL compliance.
Fallout from disruptions
The recalibration follows an operational meltdown in December, when the nation’s civil aviation regulator curtailed IndiGo’s home departures by 10% after the airline cancelled 4,500 flights within the first week of the month, stranding 1000’s of passengers.
IndiGo had initially deliberate for two,145 every day departures between November and March. The airline even ceded 4 proportion factors of market share in December, over November, as per final launched numbers of the DGCA.
Fleet and deployment
For the summer time season, IndiGo plans to function about 1,875–1,950 every day flights by means of its Airbus narrow-body fleet, down from an earlier plan of two,000–2,175. One other 280–330 departures are anticipated to be operated by its ATR turboprop plane, in contrast with about 350 deliberate earlier. Round 20–30 flights will run beneath moist leases, in line with paperwork reviewed by Mint.
The airline expects to have 325–330 Airbus plane in operation by October, up from about 300 at the moment in service, excluding grounded planes. Fleet growth is predicted between April and October too, the presentation reveals. Its ATR fleet is predicted to stay broadly steady at 45–50 plane.
As of 31 December 2025, IndiGo’s whole fleet stood at about 440 plane, together with Airbus, ATR and wet-leased planes. Roughly 10% stay grounded as a consequence of Pratt & Whitney engine points.
Crew constraints
“Round 1,800–1,900 departures by means of its narrow-body fleet of Airbus appears to be like achievable. And sensible too. However the airline will nonetheless face capability constraints because it has to create an satisfactory crew buffer contemplating within the revised FDTL norms, account for pilot leaves, holidays and different elements like sick leaves and crew not reporting for obligation. The airline must have 8 units of crew per airline (8 pilots and eight co-pilots) if its plane utilization must be elevated to 15-odd hours,” mentioned Mark D Martin, aviation skilled and chief govt at Gurugram-based Martin Consulting.
Crew availability stays a key monitorable.
IndiGo instructed the DGCA it had 2,398 captains as of 10 February—57 greater than the minimal required beneath revised FDTL norms. It expects to extend this to 2,409 by end-April, coaching about 20 captains per 30 days over the following three months.
Nonetheless, the airline is bracing for 81 attritions over the following six months and 19 retirements within the subsequent 12 months, which might offset incremental hiring. In January, IndiGo employed 100 trainee first officers to bolster cockpit energy and assist growth, it instructed the regulator.
Inside information from DGCA present that cancellations within the final two weeks of January (by IndiGo) have been largely as a consequence of climate, airspace closures, and technical points. No flights have been grounded as a consequence of pilot obligation limits.
“For an airline that deliberate to the touch 2,550 every day flights, the revised summer time schedule of round 2,175 departures indicators a extra cautious section—one formed as a lot by security and staffing as by demand and fleet dimension. After practically three quarters the airline has restarted pilot hiring,” mentioned Martin.
IndiGo didn’t reply to queries till the time of publication.