A Recap of 2025 for the Indian Aviation Sector: A Bit More Turbulence Than Stability

IndiGo, which has 65% market share, caused chaos in December with over 1,000 daily cancellations, grounding thousands of passengers. The crisis stemmed from inadequate planning for phase two of DGCA’s Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules, effective November 1, which called for longer pilot rest periods and restricted the number of night landings.

Airports in Delhi and Mumbai experienced all domestic departures paused, with passengers sleeping on the floors amid technical glitches, fog and congestion. For an airline, such a situation is very different from any of the situation encountered in its nearly twenty-year history in Indian skies, where it has seen its competitors die out.

The government regulated the fare and capped what could be charged for a particular distance. The ministry also highlighted the point that there is over- reliance on a single carrier. This fiasco, along with regulatory and geopolitical disturbances across carriers, highlighted the fragility of rostering in high-demand skies. This affected a lot of passengers and prevented a new high in domestic passenger traffic in December, when the industry hoped to exceed 5.5 lakh passengers per day.

The fatal Air India Flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad in June, which killed 241 of 242 passengers on the Boeing 787-8, dropping into a medical college minutes after takeoff. The tragedy called for a thorough scrutiny of the matter, with risk reduction and oversight targeted. DGCA’s stricter FDTL and penalties highlighted fatigue concerns, though the implementation backfired.

The crash was one of the foulest disasters in recent Indian aviation history and the first one for the Dreamliner. The following handling of the investigation, the black box, and the preliminary reporting was extensively questioned and did not appear to reflect a developed market’s approach to the case.

The depreciating rupee, with respect to the US dollar, has been a challenge for airlines. While the widespread international network has been a valuable buffer for airlines for instance Air India, it is not true for IndiGo, seeking to surge its share of international customers in its total capacity. 

Costs, for example, leasing, are dollar-designated and, with Indian carriers, depend on the leasing model; leasing costs have increased as a result of the depreciating value of the Indian rupee. The ticket sales in international markets partly offset the costs. Though IndiGo reported considerable losses in Q2, with foreign exchange losses being the key driver.

While IndiGo’s disaster stemmed from the reviewed Flight Duty Time Regulations, the FDTL regulations were eventually changed after years of debate. Not only does this offer relief to the crew, but it also brings into line the FDTL with global benchmarks, which makes India appear to be a maturing market. With the third-largest domestic market, India is leading the aviation market, with approximately 2000 aircraft on order across airlines.

 After Akasa Air, several carriers secured NOC to start operations. Though reaching the Air Operating Certificate stage was a challenge for all. Jettwings Airways, seeking to redefine air travel in Northeast India, got a so-called NOC from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in June 2023. Over two years later, the airline has yet to obtain the assured Embraers in its fleet and commence operations.

Shankh Air received an NOC in September 2024. An office is situated at Lucknow Airport, but there are no amenities on the runway because the airline doesn’t hold an Air Operating Certificate. Shankh Air has made statements on the introduction of both Boeing and Airbus aircraft; its website shows a Shankh Air-liveried Embraer. Al Hind Airlines received its NOC in 2024 with plans to launch in 2025. Its aircraft of choice is the ATR 72-600, but that has yet to take flight either.

The previous year was also just like any other year for the Indian aviation industry, with various ups and downs. The new year, 2026, will definitely bring in some new positives for the industry as well as for the people associated with it. With several of the new Indian Airlines planning to take off, this will open the doors for new commercial pilots to make an entry. If you also want to become a pilot, then enrolling at FlapOne Aviation can be a good thing for you to do.

 Here, you will learn all about the practical as well as the theoretical facets of flying an aircraft, know all about the aviation regulations and how many hours you need to clock for going up the ladder. So, what are you waiting for? The sky is waiting for you to spread your wings and embrace life, king-size.