(Image source from: REUTERS)
India's low-cost airline IndiGo canceled additional flights at multiple airports nationwide as it faced ongoing operational issues, primarily due to a lack of crew, for the third day in a row on Thursday. The flight services of IndiGo, the biggest airline in the country, were affected in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and other locations, leaving many travelers stuck at airports. Over 30 IndiGo flights that were expected to leave from Delhi were called off early Thursday. Approximately 33 flights were also canceled in Hyderabad. A representative from the Bengaluru airport reported that 73 IndiGo flights were canceled that day. Numerous flights at Mumbai airport were likewise canceled.
According to reports, more than 170 IndiGo flights were expected to be canceled on Thursday. "We have been at Hyderabad Airport since yesterday at 6:00 PM until today at 9:00 AM — over 12 hours — without any action from IndiGo about the Pune flight. This has been very inconvenient," a traveler shared on X on Thursday morning. "It’s total chaos at Hyderabad airport today — flights are delayed by more than 12 hours. Instead of offering help, they kept delaying us by saying 'just 2 more hours' repeatedly for 12 hours. The same excuse: the crew is arriving soon. This is not okay," added another traveler. Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad together reported around 200 cancellations on Wednesday. IndiGo, which runs about 2,200 flights every day, admitted that its services were "significantly disrupted" and expressed its "sincere apologies" to its passengers.
The airline explained in a statement on Wednesday, "A range of unexpected operational issues, including minor technical problems, schedule changes due to the winter season, bad weather, increased traffic in the air system, and new crew scheduling rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations), negatively impacted our operations beyond what we could have anticipated." IndiGo mentioned, "To manage the disruption and bring back stability, we have made careful changes to our schedules. These adjustments will be in effect for the next 48 hours and will help us restore normal operations and gradually improve our timeliness across the network." A significant reason for the turmoil at IndiGo, which serves 90 domestic and 40 international locations, is a severe shortage of crew, especially pilots, since the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules were introduced in November, requiring more rest hours and fairer schedules.
The aviation regulatory body, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has summoned airline representatives for a discussion on Thursday. On Wednesday, the DGCA announced that it was looking into the disruptions of IndiGo flights and requested the airline to explain the current issues as well as provide strategies to minimize flight cancellations and delays. According to recent operational data shared by IndiGo, the DGCA reported that 1,232 flights were cancelled in November, including 755 due to the limitations regarding crew and Flight Duty Time Limits (FDTL). The DGCA indicated that 258 flights were cancelled because of "airport/airspace limitations," 92 were due to failures in the ATC (Air Traffic Control) system, and 127 cancellations were attributed to other factors. The overall On Time Performance (OTP) of the airline in November was 67.7 percent, down from 84.1 percent in October.
The new FDTL regulations require an increase in weekly rest time to 48 hours, longer night hours, and a cap on night landings to just two instead of the previous six. Initially, these regulations faced resistance from domestic airlines, including IndiGo, but the DGCA implemented them following directives from the Delhi High Court. The first stage of these FDTL regulations took effect in July, with the second stage starting on November 1.
