IndiGo is reportedly planning to hire more than 1,000 pilots, which is expected to be one of the biggest hiring drives in the history of an Indian airline.
This move comes after the major flight disruptions in December 2025, when the airline was forced to cancel over 5,000 flights in just a week due to a crew shortage. After the incidents, the company had to follow the mandate of the implementation of revised pilot duty and rest norms by the civil aviation regulator.
According to an Economic Times report, the first batch of hires will include trainee first officers, senior first officers and captains. The airline is also likely to recruit pilots without prior experience in Airbus A320, which is the primary aircraft used by IndiGo.
According to media reports, the airline upgrades about 20 to 25 first officers to captains each month through its internal training pipeline. However, it takes about six months for trainee first officers before they can operate as full-fledged first officers. Also, only those with a minimum of 1,500 flying hours are eligible for captaincy, though airlines may impose higher thresholds.
