IndiGo cancelled more than 180 flights across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru on Thursday as the airline grappled with an acute shortage of crew following the rollout of revised flight-duty and rest-period norms for pilots.
Sources said Mumbai saw the highest disruption, with 86 flights cancelled — 41 arrivals and 45 departures.
Bengaluru recorded 73 cancellations, including 41 arrivals, while Delhi Airport reported 33 cancellations by morning, with more expected through the day.
The operational strain has severely impacted IndiGo’s On-Time Performance, which plunged to 19.7% across six major airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad — on December 3, down from 35% the previous day.
Industry officials attributed the widespread delays and cancellations to the airline’s inability to adequately staff flights under the second phase of the new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) regime.
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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has opened an investigation and asked IndiGo to explain the disruptions and present a plan to restore normal operations.
The Federation of Indian Pilots criticised the carrier for enforcing a hiring freeze despite having two years to prepare for the updated duty-time rules.
In a letter to the DGCA, the pilots’ body urged the regulator to withhold approval for airlines’ seasonal schedules unless they demonstrate sufficient manpower to operate flights safely and reliably.
It also called for reallocating flight slots during the peak travel and fog season if IndiGo is unable to meet its passenger commitments.
