NEW DELHI: In the largest ever cockpit crew hiring by an Indian airline, IndiGo has on boarded 600 pilots in the first six months of this fiscal and is on track to add at least 400 more by next March-end, say people in the know. The airline had committed to add pilots after witnessing an unprecedented schedule collapse last Dec. IndiGo had 5,700 pilots as on March 31, 2026, and this number rose to 6,300 by Sept end.The flight duty time limitation (FDTL, which regulate pilot duty norms) dispensation will end next March and IndiGo’s CEO Willie Walsh said on Monday in his first interaction with the media in this role that the airline will have “more than enough pilots to meet the schedules that we have for the airline. We’re confident that of fully complying with the FDTL regulations.”A trained pilot, Willie — who headed British Airways and International Air Transport Association before joining IndiGo this Aug — will spearhead the budget airline’s international expansion over coming years amid the unprecedented challenges being faced by aviation globally. IndiGo, which used to be India’s only profitable airline, has also flown into losses for the past few quarters.“The geopolitical situation is challenging. Aviation turbine fuel accounts for 32% of airlines’ operating cost globally. In India, that figure is higher at 40%. The concerning thing is the crack spread (price difference between a barrel of crude oil and the petroleum products like ATF refined from it). Crude prices have not gone that high but the premium on ATF pricing has risen. Luckily availability of ATF is not an issue in India which exports jet fuel,” said Walsh.Airlines have not fully passed on the hike in operating cost and have taken other measures like cutting capacity in the lean travel July-Sept quarter. Also due to geopolitical reasons flights have been cut. Saudi flights are impacted right now, with IndiGo also cutting the same.“No Indian carrier does fuel hedging. We are weighing that option for long hauls expansion. We expect to get our Airbus A350s from the second quarter of 2028. As of now we have four A321 XLRs (extra long range) and will get more of these planes next year,” said Walsh. IndiGo has 60 A350s on firm order. “We will have a business class with 16 flat bed seats, premium economy and economy sections in the first 10 A350s. Then we will see whether to increase the number of business class seats in subsequent deliveries. I personally think there will be a case of doing so,” said Walsh.The closure of Pakistan airspace for Indian carriers has impacted western routes to and from Delhi. Air India and IndiGo now add flights to the west mainly from Mumbai. “The Navi Mumbai airport is a business opportunity for IndiGo as our long haul international expansion in the future will be also from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai (apart from other places like Delhi and Bengaluru).”Walsh, however, cautioned overall airport charges in India are “too high.” “Indian aviation market will do much better with lower charges and taxes,” he said.
