IndiGo to speed up pilot training
As per Directorate General of Civil Aviation press note IndiGo required 2422 captains and 2153 first officers for its operations by November 25.
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RAO GN
IndiGo will speed up pilot training as it faces increased regulatory scrutiny after mass flight cancellations earlier this month.
Until last year IndiGo used to upgrade 35-40 first officers to captains each month and that process slowed down this year with barely 10-12 conversions each month. This apparent cost saving measure was put in place due to continued grounding of its aircraft.
Sources say the airline is once again preparing to upgrade 35-40 first officers to captains from January onwards. While IndiGo has received temporary waiver in flight duty time norms, it has to submit fortnightly reports to the government on actual utilisation of crew and steps taken to enhance their availability.
Eligible first officers are selected for command upgrade training after an interview. The candidate’s training record is checked too. The training involves ground classes, simulator sessions and flights under supervision of examiners.
As per Directorate General of Civil Aviation press note IndiGo required 2422 captains and 2153 first officers for its operations by November 25. The data shows IndiGo has 65 captains less than requirement and it is projected to have 2357 captains by December 25.
Flight disruption
IndiGo officials say there is no shortage of pilots in the airline and has blamed the flight disruption of multiple factors including airport congestion, minor technical snags etc.
Pilot sources say that the airline management needs to change its mindset and rework its policies to retain and reward its talent. “IndiGo greatly benefitted from the collapse of Kingfisher, Jet Airways and Go First with unemployed pilots joining its ranks. Getting pilots could become as challenge for IndiGo which wants to double its fleet by 2030 ,” a pilot said.
Another senior captain flagged off concerns regarding contract conditions. “ Several first officers are refusing upgrades because of restrictive conditions. Many are joining airlines in West Asia. IndiGo requires fresh captains to work in a different base for 18-24 months. Plus there is a training bond of ₹20-30 lakh,” he said.
IndiGo did not respond to an email query on the topic. However management sources say that there is no issue regarding future hiring and. nothing unusual too with the training bond. “There is a training cost and the concerned first officer is not available for flying during training period. What if the pilot walks out from the airline in two months after completing the training,” the executive asked.
Published on December 16, 2025
