IndiGo Faces Fresh Wave of Flight Disruptions, Triggering Airport Chaos Nationwide
IndiGo Crew Shortages and New Duty Norms Trigger Nationwide Flight Chaos
IndiGo Disruptions Overwhelm Airports, Stranding Passengers
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, is grappling with one of its most severe operational disruptions in recent years, as flight delays and cancellations create chaos at airports across the country.
As per IndiGo’s website, the carrier operates over 2,200 daily flights, but government data from Tuesday revealed that its on-time performance plummeted to just 35%, indicating that more than 1,400 flights were delayed in a single day. The turbulence continued on Wednesday, with airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad collectively reporting nearly 200 cancellations, leaving domestic travellers stranded and frustrated.
“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,” the Mumbai airport said in a statement. In November alone, IndiGo cancelled 1,232 flights.
Crew Shortages After New Duty Norms
A key factor behind the widespread disruption is a shortage of crew, particularly pilots, following the introduction of revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms last month. These rules, introduced by the DGCA, mandate more rest hours and humane rosters, limiting flying to eight hours a day, 35 hours a week, 125 hours a month, and 1,000 hours a year. Crew members must also receive mandatory downtime amounting to twice the duration of their flight time, with a minimum of 10 hours rest in any 24-hour window.
IndiGo has struggled to realign its massive network to accommodate these changes, with many flights grounded due to unavailable cabin crew and delays stretching up to eight hours. With more than 60% of the domestic market share, IndiGo’s operational issues have triggered a ripple effect across the aviation system.
In a statement, IndiGo said, “We acknowledge that operations have been significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days and sincerely apologise to our customers. A multitude of unforeseen operational challenges, including minor technology glitches, winter-season schedule changes, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion, and implementation of updated crew rostering rules, have compounded to impact our operations.”
The airline also assured passengers that alternate travel arrangements or refunds are being offered and urged travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Airports and Passengers Struggle
The effects were clearly visible at major airports. At Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, 33 IndiGo flights were cancelled, leading to long queues and frustrated travellers. Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport also faced a wave of disruptions, with 42 domestic flights cancelled, affecting services connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa, Kolkata, and Lucknow.
Travellers vented their frustrations online. One passenger at Hyderabad airport said, “I have been stranded since 3 a.m. and have missed an important meeting.” Another tweeted about repeated delays for a Udaipur-bound flight, “Is this a joke? I was informed only three minutes before entering the airport.”
Technology Glitches Add to Delays
Delhi Airport also faced additional slowdowns linked to the Amadeus system, used for check-ins, reservations, and departure control. The glitch created longer queues and slower processing, further worsening an already strained system.
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Industry Response
The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) pointed to IndiGo’s failure in proactive resource planning and suggested possible attempts to pressurise the DGCA to dilute the new FDTL norms. Conversely, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) clarified that the cancellations were not linked to FDTL implementation, attributing the disruptions to IndiGo’s lean manpower strategy, hiring freezes, and short-sighted planning practices.
As IndiGo works to stabilise its operations over the coming days, passengers are urged to stay updated and plan travel accordingly.
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