IndiGo Crisis: Over 200 Flights Cancelled as New Flight Duty Time Regulations Impact India's Largest Airline

IndiGo, India's largest airline, is currently experiencing one of its most significant operational disruptions in recent history, with widespread flight delays and cancellations affecting passengers nationwide.

According to IndiGo's official website, the carrier typically operates over 2,200 daily flights. However, government data released on Tuesday revealed the airline's on-time performance plummeted to just 35 percent, representing a dramatic decline for a company known for its punctuality. This indicates that more than 1,400 flights experienced delays on Tuesday alone.

The crisis continued to escalate on Wednesday, with airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad collectively reporting approximately 200 flight cancellations by afternoon, causing substantial inconvenience for domestic travelers.

Mumbai Airport issued a statement advising: "Some IndiGo flights operating from Mumbai Airport may experience delays or cancellations due to airline-related operational issues. Passengers booked with IndiGo are requested to check the latest flight status directly with the airline before heading to the airport."

Reports indicate that November saw a total of 1,232 flight cancellations across the airline's network.

A primary factor contributing to this operational breakdown is a critical shortage of crew members, especially pilots, following the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) regulations last month. These new rules mandate increased rest periods and more humane work schedules, but IndiGo has struggled to adjust its extensive network operations accordingly.

Industry sources revealed that numerous flights were grounded due to cabin crew unavailability, while others faced delays extending up to eight hours. With IndiGo controlling over 60 percent of India's domestic market, the disruptions have created widespread effects throughout the aviation system.

IndiGo acknowledged the situation in an official statement: "We acknowledge that IndiGo's operations have been significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days, and we sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused. A multitude of unforeseen operational challenges, including minor technology glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations) had a negative compounding impact on our operations in a way that was not feasible to be anticipated."

The FDTL norms restrict crew members to eight hours of flying per day, 35 hours per week, 125 hours monthly, and 1,000 hours annually. These regulations, implemented by the DGCA, also require mandatory rest periods equaling twice the flight duration, with a minimum of 10 hours rest within any 24-hour period, ensuring crew members are adequately rested to maintain safety standards.

IndiGo further stated: "To contain the disruption and restore stability, we have initiated calibrated adjustments to our schedules. These measures will remain in place for the next 48 hours and will allow us to normalise our operations and progressively recover our punctuality across the network. Our teams are working around the clock to ease customer discomfort and ensure operations stabilise as quickly as possible."

The airline added that affected customers were being offered alternative travel arrangements or refunds as applicable, urging passengers to verify flight status on their website before departing for airports.

Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) experienced significant disruption with 33 IndiGo flights cancelled, including both arrivals and departures. The airport issued an update stating operations remained normal while advising passengers to contact IndiGo directly for flight status updates.

Cancelled IndiGo arrivals at Hyderabad included flights from Visakhapatnam, Goa, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Madurai, Hubli, Bhopal, and Bhubaneswar, while departures to Delhi, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Hubli, and Bhopal were also affected.

Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport faced similar challenges with 42 domestic flight cancellations, comprising 22 arrivals and 20 departures. Services connecting major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa, Kolkata, and Lucknow were disrupted.

Frustrated passengers took to social media to express their dissatisfaction. One traveler stranded in Hyderabad since 3 a.m. lamented missing an important meeting, while another complained about multiple reschedulings of their Udaipur flight without adequate notification.

At Delhi Airport, technical issues with the Amadeus system, which handles airline check-ins, reservations, and departure control, further complicated operations already hampered by staffing shortages.

The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) suggested the disruptions highlighted a failure in resource planning by dominant carriers, while also speculating about potential pressure on the DGCA to relax the new FDTL regulations.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) disputed claims linking cancellations to FDTL implementation, stating: "FIP would like to categorically clarify that the recent spate of IndiGo flight cancellations cannot be attributed to the Delhi High Court-mandated Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) regulations for pilots. All other airlines have provisioned pilots adequately and remain largely unaffected due to timely planning and preparation."

FIP further attributed the disruptions to IndiGo's "prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy," noting that despite having a two-year preparation period before full FDTL implementation, the airline had maintained a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, and frozen pilot pay through what they described as "cartel-like behavior."