IndiGo’s week of woes: 4,500+ flight cancellations, Centre's intervention; all that has happened since Dec 1

By December 8, IndiGo reported operating over 1,800 flights with a 90 percent on-time performance, up from 75 percent the previous day.

India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo, continues to be in the midst of its operational crisis, with thousands of flights cancelled over the past week, stranding passengers across the country and causing widespread disruption at airports.

The Centre, which stepped in last week to resolve the crisis, has now decided to curtail IndiGo’s winter flight schedule of 2,200 daily flights and reallocate some routes to other operators, following repeated failures in operational planning and crew management.

The disruption began last Tuesday, coinciding with the second phase of updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rolled out in November. These regulations, aimed at reducing pilot fatigue and improving rest periods, required airlines to revise crew schedules to comply with mandatory rest and duty time limits.

IndiGo, despite having the largest fleet in India and controlling 70 percent of domestic air travel, reportedly struggled to implement these changes. Combined with a shortage of pilots, this led to a cascade of flight cancellations and delays.

Between December 1 and 8, the airline cancelled over 4,500 flights, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. Even on Monday, over 500 flights were cancelled, despite the airline claiming operational normalcy.

Key developments in the IndiGo crisis till now:

Massive Cancellations: The disruption began last Tuesday, with over 4,500 flights cancelled by Monday. Even as the airline claimed to stabilise operations, more than 500 flights were cancelled on Monday alone, affecting hundreds of passengers.

What triggered the crisis: The chaos has been linked to IndiGo’s failure to implement the second phase of updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), introduced in November to reduce pilot fatigue. Staff shortages, especially of pilots, compounded the problem, leading to operational bottlenecks.

Centre's intervention: Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu, on Monday, announced that the airline’s winter schedule will be curtailed, with some routes reassigned to other carriers. The ministry has also instructed officials to monitor airports closely and ensure passenger-centric services.

DGCA show-cause notices: On December 6, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidro Porqueras over the disruptions. IndiGo responded, apologising and citing the complexity of pinpointing exact causes, and requested additional time to submit a detailed report.

Temporary relaxation of crew rules: To ease the operational strain, DGCA temporarily relaxed night-duty and weekly rest norms for pilots, helping the airline manage its crew roster.

Passenger relief measures: IndiGo has processed refunds worth over Rs 827 crore, arranged over 9,500 hotel rooms, and reunited 4,500 delayed bags with owners. The airline is assisting over two lakh customers daily through its support channels.

Operational recovery: By December 8, IndiGo reported operating over 1,800 flights with a 90 percent on-time performance, up from 75 percent the previous day. Cancellations were pre-notified to passengers to reduce inconvenience.

Airport-specific impact: Major airports, including Bengaluru, Chennai, and Delhi, continue to report multiple cancellations daily, though the airline is working to restore connectivity across all stations.