IndiGo cancellations: Fares jump 10-fold; pilots' union says don't blame new norms

Travelers wait in queues at IndiGo ticketing kiosks to reschedule their flights at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

Following mass cancellations of IndiGo flights, fares on certain key routes across the country jumped 4- to 10-fold above normal levels as desperate flyers rushed to secure seats on any available flights.

Air India did not have direct flights to Kolkata from Delhi on December 4. A one-way seat from Delhi to Kolkata with a three-hour stopover at Guwahati is priced at a staggering Rs 59,500. A non-stop SpiceJet flight from Kolkata to Delhi was priced at Rs 36,500.

A non-stop late evening flight of SpiceJet from Bengaluru to Mumbai was priced at Rs 31,100 and that of Air India was available at Rs 32,000 against the typical Rs 5,000-6,000.

Akasa Air’s Mumbai to Delhi direct flight was available at nearly Rs 30,000, and that of SpiceJet was sold at Rs 22,000. This is against the typical rate of Rs 6,300.

Between December 2 and December 3, IndiGo, the country’s largest carrier, cancelled around 300 flights. The airline’s December 3 punctuality level fell to less than 20%, meaning that four out of every five flights were delayed. On December 2, only 35% of its 2200 flights were on time.

This disruption caused inconvenience to scores of passengers, especially those stuck at airports that were overflowing beyond their rated capacity.

A public relations officer at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, said, “Many passengers were forced to spend the night at the airport. Continuous delays and cancellations have led to Terminal 1 becoming overcrowded. Due to the shortage of seating, many passengers were compelled to sit on the floor. Elderly travellers and families with children faced significant difficulties.”

“All this is due to a total lack of planning, as it can’t be that suddenly there are so many flights being cancelled. IndiGo is facing a massive shortage of captains. The movement of the aircraft in the planning has changed and this has been extremely poor,” said CS Randhawa, President, FIP (a pilot’s union).

“The airline had enough time to comply with the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, which were announced by the government last year. This a complete failure on part of the management and the government should intervene in a significant way. IndiGo did not even have a stand-by crew, which is mandatory as per CAR,” Randhawa added.

FDTL is designed to reduce fatigue and improve safety. The new norms required overhauls to duty schedules, night-landing plans and weekly rest charts.

The second phase of FDTL was implemented on November 1. As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, a total of 1,232 flights were cancelled in November.

“All airlines, including IndiGo, were aware of the revised FDTL norms issued in January 2024. Despite sufficient time being accorded, most airlines started preparing rather late, failing to properly adjust crew rosters 15 days in advance as required. This suggests an initial managerial underestimation or delay in the strategic planning necessary to provision crew accordingly,” said a statement from the Airline Pilots’ Association of India