IndiGo to promote 35-40 pilots as captains every month
IndiGo, India's biggest airline, is stepping up its game by promoting 35-40 first officers to captains every month from January onwards—a big jump from the usual 10-12.
This move comes as IndiGo faces a serious pilot shortage and aims to address regulatory compliance.
Why does this matter?
IndiGo is short by over 650 pilots for its huge fleet, mainly because of new work-hour rules.
The government has even cut IndiGo's winter flights and delayed some regulations just to help manage the chaos.
Becoming a captain isn't easy either—it takes months of training, and many pilots don't want to relocate or pay hefty bonds, so some are choosing jobs abroad instead.
What's next for IndiGo?
To fix things long-term, IndiGo plans to hire about 900 new pilots by the end of 2026 (with over 150 joining soon).
With these changes, they're hoping to smooth out operations—and maybe even double their fleet by 2030.