IndiGo Flight Crisis: Over 170 Cancellations Nationwide as Crew Shortage Enters Third Day

Sources have informed NDTV that approximately 170 IndiGo flights are expected to be cancelled on Thursday.

New Delhi:

IndiGo, India's leading budget airline, continues to face significant operational disruptions for the third consecutive day on Thursday, primarily due to crew shortages, resulting in numerous flight cancellations across various airports nationwide.

The airline's operations experienced substantial disruptions at major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and other locations, leaving thousands of travelers stranded at airports throughout the country.

Early Thursday, more than 30 IndiGo flights scheduled to depart from Delhi were cancelled. Hyderabad reported approximately 33 flight cancellations, while a Bengaluru airport spokesperson confirmed 73 IndiGo flight cancellations on Thursday. Multiple flights at Mumbai airport were also cancelled.

According to sources who spoke with NDTV, over 170 IndiGo flights are likely to be cancelled on Thursday.

"Do Anything But Get Us A Flight" - Videos captured at various airports show frustrated passengers confronting IndiGo staff members.

"Do anything but just get us a flight," an exasperated female passenger was heard telling staff at Mumbai airport.

One passenger reported being stranded at Hyderabad airport for more than 15 hours.

"We have been at Hyderabad airport from yesterday at 6:00 PM until today at 9:00 AM — over 12 hours — with no action taken by IndiGo regarding the Pune flight. This situation has caused significant inconvenience," a user posted on X on Thursday morning.

"Total chaos at Hyderabad airport today — flights delayed 12+ hours. To not give accommodation, they kept pushing it by "just 2 more hours" every single time for 12 hours. Same excuse: crew is coming soon. Unacceptable," another user stated.

Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad collectively reported approximately 200 cancellations on Wednesday.

IndiGo, which operates around 2,200 flights daily, acknowledged that its operations were "significantly disrupted" and "sincerely apologised" to customers.

"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 airline explained in a statement released Wednesday.

"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," IndiGo added.

A major contributing factor to the chaos at IndiGo, which serves 90 domestic and 40 international destinations, is a significant shortage of crew, particularly pilots, following the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms in November. These new regulations mandate increased rest periods and more humane work schedules.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's aviation regulatory authority, has summoned airline officials for a meeting on Thursday. On Wednesday, the DGCA announced an investigation into IndiGo's flight disruptions and requested the airline to provide explanations for the current situation along with plans to reduce flight cancellations and delays.

According to recent operational performance data provided by IndiGo, the DGCA reported that 1,232 flights were cancelled in November, including 755 due to crew and FDTL constraints. Additionally, 258 flights were cancelled because of "airport/airspace restrictions," 92 due to Air Traffic Control system failures, and 127 for other reasons.

The regulatory body noted that IndiGo's overall On Time Performance (OTP) in November dropped to 67.7 percent compared to 84.1 percent in October.

The new FDTL regulations include increasing weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extending night hours, and limiting night landings to only two, down from the previous six.

These norms were initially opposed by domestic airlines, including IndiGo, but were subsequently implemented by the DGCA following directives from the Delhi High Court.

While the first phase of these FDTL regulations took effect in July, the second phase was implemented starting November 1.