IndiGo Crisis: Pilot count lags at 5,085 while Air India dominates staffing

InterGlobe Aviation, which operates domestic carrier IndiGo, employs about 5,085 pilots, nearly one-third of the pilots working with major domestic airlines, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol informed the Parliament on Monday.

The data underscores a striking imbalance in the sector. Despite operating a smaller fleet of 198 aircraft as of April 14, 2025, Air India employs a larger pool of 6,350 pilots, representing around 45% of pilots working across major airlines.

Mohol was responding to a question raised by Dr Fouzia Khan, a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament from Maharashtra representing the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar.

In contrast, IndiGo operates a fleet of around 400 aircraft, but has a lower pilot count. Regulatory filings show the airline holds a 64.5% share of the domestic market, followed by the Air India Group, inclusive of its low-cost airline Air India Express, at 26.7%.

The response comes at a time when Indigo has grounded at least 2,000 flights due to shortage of pilots after it failed to plan adequately for new rules limiting how many hours they work. The disruption, which has come during the year-end holiday rush, has stranded passengers at airports and caused widespread delays, with images of piled-up luggage on terminals circulating online. According to the annual disclosure made by Indigo, it has 5,456 pilots as of March 31, 2025.

Besides the two market leaders, Akasa Air, Alliance Air, and Spice Jet together employ just 862 pilots, accounting for a marginal share in overall operations. The recent disruptions have brought in fresher scrutiny on the country's over-reliance on a single airline and its evolving duopolistic structure.

According to a report by Mint, IndiGo is now moving quickly to expand its pilot pool, with plans to add 158 pilots by February 10, the new limit given by aviation regulator to fully comply with new limits on consecutive night operations. Indigo plans to hire 300 captains and 600 junior first officers over the next 12 months, according to a submission to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as cited by the report.