After 49 cancellations on February 13, IndiGo to curtail 30 flights a day until March-end

Low-cost airline IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation, cancelled 49 flights on February 13, as it struggled to normalise operations since a hailstorm in northern India on February 7, hit operations.

In a statement the airline said, the cancellations were caused by several factors like anticipated weather conditions on February 14 and NOTAMS at various airports resulting in extended duty times which made it necessary to re-roster crew and optimise operations.

Notam, or notice to airmen, is given to pilots and include information on potential hazards on a flight route.

Sources also suggested an acute shortage of pilots has added to the problems of the country's largest airline.

"Going forward, IndiGo has decided to curtail its schedule for the remaining period of Feb by approximately 30 flights a day. This is in order to stabilize its operation and adjust its crew rosters due to the reasons mentioned above. Passengers are in the process of being informed and re-accommodated," the airline said.

The curtailment will continue until the end of March, it added.

More than 30 IndiGo flights have been cancelled every day since February 1, when the hailstorm forced diversion of 11 flights. That led to a cascading effect, all the more because of the shortage of pilots.

IndiGo hasn't yet commented on the pilot shortage issue.

The airline said flights were cancelled with one to two days prior notice in order to re-accommodate passengers on flights at a similar time as booked.

"These 30 flights represent 2 percent of IndiGo’s flights. The operations will be completely normalized by the start of the summer schedule, 31 March 2019," the airline added.