IndiGo has faced a number of setbacks since December, with the recent flight cancellations that have affected planned rosters and left passengers stranded.
What is the Layover Allowance?
The layover allowance is designed to increase morale among the crew, including pilots and first officers, by giving them a pay rise to compensate for the last-minute changes in service. IndiGo has vowed to increase these allowances by rank in the chain of command.
Captains are expected to get ₹3,000 (approximately $33), a slight raise from the previous ₹2,000, and first officers are likely to receive ₹1,500, an extra ₹500 raise. For the carriers who have to ‘deadhead’, in other words, make the journey without passengers or cargo, captains are likely to receive ₹4,000 up from the previous figure of ₹3,000, while the first officers should get a significant bump from ₹500 to a round figure of ₹2,000.
What led to these Layover Allowance increases?
IndiGo has a 65% domestic share in the aviation market and has come under the scrutiny of the Competition Commission of India, for the volume of flights cancelled in December, a staggering 4,500. The disruption also impacted passengers who had booked flights with IndiGo Airlines and then had to deal with the consequences of the cancellations.
The low-cost hybrid airline employs roughly 5,000 pilots and is introducing the new scheme to boost allowances for pilots and first officers as a way of increasing their morale during the busy commercial season. The new allowances come into effect from Jan. 1, 2026.
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