(Image source from: IndiGo)
In a record for the 20-year-old airline, IndiGo cancelled over 550 flights on Thursday as operational issues continued for a third day. The airline is facing major flight disruptions due to several problems, including difficulties with cabin crew and technological malfunctions. IndiGo has modified its schedules, which means that previously planned service cancellations are being made to stabilize operations. The airline has mentioned that more flights will be cancelled in the next two to three days. IndiGo operates about 2,300 flights daily and prides itself on punctuality; however, it experienced an on-time rate of only 19.7 percent on Wednesday, a sharp decrease from the 35 percent recorded on Tuesday.
The Civil Aviation Ministry and the regulatory body DGCA held talks with senior IndiGo officials today to examine the situation and seek a resolution. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers informed the staff that returning to regular operations and restoring punctuality will not be an "easy goal."
At least 118 flights were cancelled at the Mumbai airport, 100 at Bangalore, 75 at Hyderabad, 35 at Kolkata, 26 at Chennai, and 11 at Goa, according to news agency PTI. Flight cancellations were also noted at other airports. IndiGo acknowledged that it underestimated the crew needs under the new regulations and encountered planning issues, leading to insufficient crew during a time when winter weather and busy conditions were also hindering operations. The change in the definition of night duty from midnight to 5 am to midnight to 6 am has been temporarily reversed. Moreover, the limit on night landings, which was set at two, is also temporarily paused. IndiGo informed the DGCA that the disruptions arose from challenges in applying Phase 2 of the updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) guidelines, which started on November 1 after a court ruling. IndiGo disclosed that the actual number of pilots required for FDTL Phase 2 was higher than they anticipated.
Data on crew needs shared by the airline indicated that after Phase 2 was implemented, the number of required staff significantly increased, especially for night operations, where slot availability is scarce and pilot duty time restrictions are stricter. The new regulations, aimed at enhancing fatigue management and pilot safety, have greatly changed crew scheduling patterns.
