VOIWORLD/Business Desk
IndiGo has informed the aviation regulator that it expects to fully restore its flight operations by February 10, following a week marked by large-scale disruptions and hundreds of cancellations caused by a shortage of pilots.
According to officials, the airline has admitted that the crisis stemmed from “misjudgment and planning gaps” during the rollout of the second phase of India’s revised pilot duty-time regulations. The updated rules impose tighter limits on how long pilots can operate without rest, leading to a mismatch between IndiGo’s staffing levels and its scheduled operations.
The regulator has said the airline has requested partial relief from certain provisions of the duty-time norms to stabilise operations more quickly. Discussions are ongoing as authorities assess the airline’s recovery plan and the potential safety implications of any relaxation.
Airports across the country have seen widespread delays, long queues and stranded passengers as IndiGo worked to manage cascading cancellations. At several airports, piles of unattended baggage reflected the scale of the disruption.
The regulator has asked the airline for detailed updates and is monitoring the situation closely as IndiGo attempts to rebuild its schedule and normalise services over the coming weeks.
Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday initiated a probe into widespread disruptions across IndiGo’s network after at least 150 flights were cancelled and several others delayed at major airports nationwide. The regulator has sought a detailed report from the airline on the causes of the disruptions and its mitigation plan to restore normal operations.
The cancellations, which began earlier this week, were attributed by IndiGo to “technical glitches and operational issues.” Industry officials cited acute crew shortages as a key factor behind the cascading delays at major hubs including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
The DGCA said it is evaluating corrective measures with the airline to minimise passenger inconvenience. “IndiGo has been asked to present the facts leading to the current situation along with plans to mitigate the ongoing delays and cancellations,” the watchdog said.
In November alone, the airline cancelled 1,232 flights, of which 755 were due to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) — safety norms that cap maximum duty hours for pilots and crew to prevent fatigue.
The disruptions escalated on Wednesday with 67 cancellations in Delhi, 42 in Bengaluru, 32 in Mumbai and 19 in Hyderabad. Other carriers including Akasa Air, Air India and SpiceJet also reported delays after a global outage in the Amadeus check-in software on Tuesday night.
IndiGo, in a statement, apologised to passengers and said the disruptions were caused by a combination of operational challenges, including minor technology issues, winter schedule adjustments, weather-related constraints and congestion across the aviation network. The airline said “calibrated adjustments” have been made to its schedule for the next 48 hours to stabilise operations.
The DGCA said its probe will look into the airline’s preparedness, staffing adequacy and compliance with duty-time norms as cancellation numbers rise ahead of the peak travel season.
