Crew crunch hits IndiGo: Over 70 flights cancelled, chaos at Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports

BENGALURU: IndiGo has cancelled more than 70 flights across India on Wednesday, including from Bengaluru and Mumbai airports, mainly due to crew shortages, sources told news agency PTI.

Scores of IndiGo flights were delayed at various airports as the carrier struggled to get crew to operate its schedules, according to sources.

IndiGo acknowledged the disruptions.

"We have had several unavoidable flight delays and some cancellations in the past few days due to various reasons including technology issues, airport congestion, and operational requirements," an airline spokesperson said in a statement.




A source told PTI that the airline has been struggling with crew shortages since the implementation of the second phase of the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms.

"IndiGo has been facing acute crew shortage since the implementation of the second phase of the FDTL norms, leading to cancellations and huge delays in its operations across the airports,” the source said.

"The situation turned bad on Tuesday for the airline and the shortage turned worse on Wednesday with scores of flights cancelled and delayed from across airports in the country," the source added.

Also See: Indigo Flight Cancelled

Some IndiGo flights at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad) have also been impacted due to airline-related technology and operational issues, resulting in delays and cancellations. Operations at RGIA remain normal, and passengers are requested to contact IndiGo’s customer service team directly for the latest updates on flight status.

IndiGo’s on-time performance from six key domestic airports fell to 35% on Tuesday, while other airlines performed better, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry. Air India clocked 67.2%, Air India Express 79.5%, SpiceJet 82.5%, and Akasa Air 73.2%.

The new FDTL norms, which include increased weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extended night duty hours, and a limit of two night landings instead of six, were initially opposed by IndiGo and Air India.

They were implemented following a Delhi High Court directive after a year-long delay and in a phased manner, with certain variations for IndiGo and Air India.

While the first phase of the rules came into effect in July, the second phase restricting night landings to two per crew was implemented from November 1.

The norms were originally due in March 2024, but airlines requested a phased rollout citing the need for additional crew.

IndiGo, based in Gurugram, operates around 2,100 domestic and international flights, a significant number of which are during night hours.

As of 2 December, the airline had a fleet of 416 planes, with 366 in operation and 50 on the ground, up from 47 last month, according to aircraft tracking website Planespotter.com.

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