Pilot allowances to increase from January 1, new benefits also announced; Indigo makes major decision

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): India’s largest airline IndiGo has announced an increase in pilot allowances along with the introduction of new benefits, effective from January 1. The move comes at a time when the airline is facing operational challenges and flight reductions, and is aimed at providing relief to its pilots.

IndiGo has revised the rules for several allowance categories, including domestic layover, deadhead and night allowance. In addition, the airline has introduced a new “tail swap allowance” for the first time. A tail swap refers to a situation where a pilot has to operate a different aircraft than the one originally assigned. Until now, no extra allowance was paid for this, but from January 1, pilots will receive compensation for such duties.

The airline has increased various allowances by amounts ranging from ₹25 to ₹2,000. For domestic layovers between 10 hours 1 minute and 24 hours, the captain’s allowance has been raised from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000, while the first officer’s allowance has increased from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500.

For every additional hour beyond 24 hours, captains will now receive ₹150 instead of ₹100, and first officers will get ₹75 instead of ₹50. Night allowance rates have also been revised, with captains receiving ₹2,000 per night and first officers ₹1,000, calculated on an hourly basis.

Deadhead allowance has also been enhanced. Per block hour, the allowance for captains has increased from ₹3,000 to ₹4,000, while for first officers it has gone up from ₹1,500 to ₹2,000. Deadheading refers to a situation where a pilot travels as a passenger rather than operating the flight.

According to sources, the meal allowance during transit has also been doubled, with captains now receiving ₹1,000 instead of ₹500. However, it is noted that this hike recovers only about 25 percent of the allowance cuts implemented after the second phase of revised FDTL rules in November.

Recently, following operational disruptions, aviation regulator DGCA directed IndiGo to cut 10 percent of its flights. As per a written reply given by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in the Rajya Sabha on December 8, IndiGo currently employs 5,085 pilots. The decision to revise allowances comes after several aircraft were grounded in recent weeks, leading to the cancellation of nearly 1,600 flights in a single day.