IndiNoGo: 300 flights nixed as airline chaos worsens

NEW DELHI: There were unprecedented disruptions at IndiGo and misery at airports across India, with about 300 IndiGo flights cancelled on Thursday. IndiGo’s problems had consequences for passengers of other airlines too at places like Pune. The airline, the DGCA said, admitted grossly under-estimating pilot requirements for its current schedule under new crew duty rules.

These “disruptions have arisen primarily from misjudgement and planning gaps in implementing phase 2 of the flight duty time limitation, with the airline accepting the actual crew requirement for new (rules) exceeded their anticipation,” the DGCA said after meeting the airline management.

Will stabilise ops by Feb 10: IndiGo

IndiGo has told DGCA flight cancellations will continue for two-three days and, from Monday (Dec 8), it “will reduce flight operations to minimise disruption”. “IndiGo has assured DGCA that corrective actions are under way and that normalised and stable operations will be fully restored by Feb 10, 2026,” DGCA said. For that to happen, the airline has sought “operational variations/exemptions from specific FDTL provisions… for Airbus A320 operations up to Feb 10, 2026”.

A call on granting these exemptions could be taken as early as Friday as restoring a semblance of normalcy is crucial before the annual fog season envelops north India around mid-Dec and starts disrupting flights all over again.

While IndiGo underestimated crew requirements post-Nov 1, when the second phase of FDTL rules came into effect, it increased domestic flights by 6% from 14,158 this summer to 15,014 in the winter schedule, in force since Oct 26. What is being witnessed now — a yawning gap between flights and crew required — has proven to be a miserable double whammy for flyers.

This admission of miscalculation and submission for exemption came on a day when IndiGo’s woes — due to its sheer size — engulfed passengers of other airlines too. For instance, having its aircraft stuck at Pune airport with no pilots to fly them meant other airlines’ flights could not operate there. At some airports, fed up with long waits and unending uncertainty, angry passengers protested at departure gates and other airlines could not board their flyers. On Wednesday, IndiGo’s on-time performance had dropped to 19.7%.

“IndiGo has crossed all limits. They show the flight is on time, checks in people and baggage. They show scheduled flight departure times on boards and, when the time comes, that flight number just vanishes. We’re stuck and helpless,” fumed a passenger who was to fly to Bengaluru from Delhi on Tuesday at 8.45pm. “It’s a bad situation but IndiGo is making it worse with its unethical behaviour,” he added.

Inspecting Delhi airport’s Terminal 1, “which witnessed the highest passenger imp-act”, DGCA found “IndiGo’s passenger-handling manpower was inadequate to manage disruption-induced crowding”. While instructing the airline to “urgently increase manpower and strengthen passenger support services at all affected terminals”, the regulator has asked its officials to “conduct real-time inspections at major airports to evaluate IndiGo’s management of flight disruptions.”

An official at a small airport said, “Our stalls quickly ran out of all food due to the number of stranded passengers.” The aviation minister has instructed operators to inform all airport directors that they should provide support to stranded passengers. DGCA has been asked to closely monitor airfares.

At its meeting with DGCA, “IndiGo presented data on cancellations and provided initial reasons, including transitional challenges in implementing the revised FDTL, crew-planning issues, and winter-season operational constraints”. The revised FDTL norms were implemented in two phases — July 1 and Nov 1 — following court directions to “strengthen fatigue management and ensure enhanced flight safety”.

IndiGo informed DGCA it was “facing significant transitional challenges in roster planning and crew availability under Phase-2 FDTL requirements. These issues, combined with winter operational constraints, have contributed to the sharp spike in cancellations and delays.”

“Reviewed the operations of IndiGo along with senior aviation ministry and DGCA officials. I have instructed DGCA and officials concerned at the ministry to keep a close watch on the network and directed IndiGo to normalise operations at the earliest. In addition, AAI and other airport operators have also been directed to provide all support to stranded passengers,” civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in a post on social media.
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