Mumbai, Dec 06: Domestic carrier IndiGo has cancelled over 200 flights from Delhi and Mumbai on Saturday, a day after managing to temporarily secure major relaxations in the second phase of the court-mandated new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, sources said.

Of these cancelled flights, 109 IndiGo flights were cancelled at Mumbai airport, 51 arrivals and 58 departures, and 106 flights at Delhi airport, which included 54 departures and 52 arrivals, they said.

On Friday, when IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights from across airports, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, after maintaining a stoic silence over the grave crisis for three days, apologised in a video message for the major inconvenience caused to passengers due to the disruptions.

In the one-way video communication, Elbers also said that the airline was expecting fewer than 1,000 flights on Saturday.

It may be mentioned here that on Friday, DGCA provided temporary relief to IndiGo, which is partially owned by Rahul Bhatia, by way of rolling back the night duty definition to 12 am-5 am from 12 am-6 am earlier, and allowing its pilots to do six night-landings from two earlier, besides other relaxations.

Meanwhile, the pilots’ body, Airlines’ Pilots Association (ALPA) India, has taken a “strong” objection to the DGCA’s “selective and unsafe” relief to IndiGo, saying that the relaxations have not just “destroyed regulatory parity but also placed millions of passengers at “heightened risk”.

Following the meeting convened by the Ministry of Civil Aviation with ALPA India and other pilot associations on December 5, the Ministry announced that it has decided to place the implementation of the revised FDTL CAR in abeyance.

“ALPA India expresses its deep concern that this step directly contradicts the Court’s directions, which mandate the enforcement of fatigue-mitigation standards rooted in aviation science,” the Association said in a statement late Friday.

It stated that keeping the FDTL in abeyance not only undermines judicial authority but also heightens the risk to pilots and passengers by delaying essential fatigue protections.

“We urge the (Civil Aviation) Ministry and the regulator to uphold the Court’s order in both letter and spirit and to prioritise the safety of the pilots and travelling public above all commercial considerations,” ALPA India said.

It is worth noting that IndiGo was the first carrier to oppose the new FDTL norms for pilots when they were introduced in January 2024, with a March implementation timeline.

It had been argued that the airlines require more time to put in place due to additional crew requirements. The latest FDTL norms, which entail increased weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extended night hours, and limiting the number of night landings to only two, as against six earlier, were initially also opposed by domestic airlines, including IndiGo and Tata Group-owned Air India.

But they were subsequently rolled out by the DGCA following the Delhi High Court’s directives, albeit with a delay of over one year, in a phased manner, and with certain variations for airlines like IndiGo and Air India.

While the first phase of these FDTL norms came into force in July, the second phase, which reduced the number of night landings from six to two earlier, was implemented from November 1.

The norms were originally to be put in place in March 2024.

New Delhi, Dec 06: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday offered tributes to Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution, on his death anniversary.

“Remembering Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on Mahaparinirvan Diwas. His visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to justice, equality and constitutionalism continue to guide our national journey,” Modi said in a post on X.

The prime minister said Ambedkar inspired generations to uphold human dignity and strengthen democratic values.

“May his ideals keep lighting our path as we work towards building a Viksit Bharat,” Modi said.

The prime minister also joined Vice President C P Radhakrishnan in offering floral tributes at Ambedkar’s statue at the Prerna Sthal in Parliament House premises

New Delhi, Dec 06: India and Russia moved to strengthen the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ by broadening cooperation in several sectors, including trade, nuclear energy, defence, and science and technology.

The Ministry of External Affairs released a joint statement on Friday outlining the key outcomes of the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

PM Modi and Putin noted the importance of further discussion on the second site in India for a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), with Russia also assuring to make the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant completely operational.

According to the joint statement, India will strive to finalise the formal allotment of the second site in accordance with earlier signed agreements.

Both leaders agreed to broaden cooperation in nuclear energy, including fuel cycle, life cycle support for operating Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) and non-power applications.

During the joint press briefing with PM Modi, Putin reaffirmed Russia’s support to make the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) completely operational. Two of the six reactors at the nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu are already operational.

“We’re conducting a flagship project to build the largest Indian nuclear power plant, Kudankulam. Two out of six reactor units have already been connected to the energy network, and four are still under construction. Getting this nuclear power plant to full power output will make an impressive contribution to the energy requirements of India,” Putin said

Along with it, both leaders decided to elaborate a new agenda of interaction in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy and related high technologies.

According to the joint statement, both sides noted the importance of cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy as a significant component of the strategic partnership, taking into account the plans of the Government of India to increase India’s nuclear energy capacity to 100 GW by 2047.

The Sides agreed to accelerate technical and commercial discussions on Russia’s VVER (Veda-Vodyanoi Energetichesky Reaktor–water cooled power reactor), research and joint development of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), localisation and joint manufacturing of nuclear equipment and fuel assemblies for Russian-designed large capacity NPPs, subject to terms and conditions as mutually agreeable.

Noting the importance of cooperation in Space, the two Sides welcomed the enhanced partnership between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Russian State Space Corporation “Roscosmos” in the use of outer space for peaceful purposes, including in the human spaceflight programs, satellite navigation and planetary exploration. They noted the progress in mutually beneficial cooperation in rocket engine development, production and use.

Additionally, both sides welcomed steps to ensure the long-term supply of fertilisers to India and discussed the potential establishment of joint ventures in this area.

In this effort, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed among JSC UralChem, Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited, National Fertilisers Limited, and Indian Potash Limited.

Further to enhance cooperation in building stable and efficient transport corridors, an MoU on the Training of Specialists for Ships Operating in Polar Waters was signed with the focus on expanding logistics links for improving connectivity and enhancing infrastructure capacity to support the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), the Chennai-Vladivostok (Eastern Maritime) Corridor, and the Northern Sea Route.

The two Sides confirmed their readiness to intensify trade and investment cooperation in the Far East and the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The Program of India-Russia Cooperation in Trade, Economic and Investment Spheres in the Russian Far East for the period from 2024 to 2029 provides the necessary framework for further cooperation between India and the Russian Far East region, especially in the sectors of agriculture, energy, mining, manpower, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, maritime transport, etc.

Both Sides underscored the importance of holding regular bilateral consultations on Arctic-related issues and welcomed the progress made in multifaceted bilateral cooperation on the Northern Sea Route. The Russian Side appreciated the participation of the Indian delegation in the 6th International Arctic Forum held in Murmansk in March 2025. The Indian Side expressed its readiness to play an active role as an Observer in the Arctic Council, according to the joint statement.

Now in the most watched military and military technical cooperation, both Sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India program through transfer of technology and setting up of joint ventures for meeting the needs of the Indian Armed Forces as well as subsequent export to mutually friendly third countries.

The leaders also expressed satisfaction with regular military contacts, including the meeting of Defence Ministers in Qingdao in June 2025 on the sidelines of the SCO Member-States’ Defence Ministers’ Meeting. Both Sides appreciated the Joint Military Exercises INDRA of the Armed Forces and reaffirmed their commitment to maintain the momentum of joint military cooperation activities and expand military delegation exchanges.

Additionally, Russia and India agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral settlements through the use of national currencies in order to ensure the uninterrupted maintenance of bilateral trade. Additionally, the Sides have agreed to continue their consultations on enabling the interoperability of the national payment systems, financial messaging systems, and central bank digital currency platforms.

Russian President Putin concluded his two-day visit to Delhi on Friday night.