IndiGo Crisis: Cancellations Ease, But Chaos Isn’t Over Yet
While the airline ramps up flight operations and boosts punctuality, cancellations still run high and regulators demand answers.
The Gist
IndiGo Faces Ongoing Operational Disruptions
- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo's CEO amid public outcry and criticism.
- Despite a marginal improvement in on-time performance, operational challenges remain due to mismanagement and staffing issues, with the government temporarily relaxing new regulations to provide relief.
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, continued to battle major operational disruptions on Sunday, marking the sixth straight day of flight cancellations and delays. While the airline reported marginal improvements in service recovery, the scale of cancellations remained significant, extending what is now being described as the worst aviation disruption India has seen in years.
IndiGo said on Sunday that it is on track to operate 1,650 flights, up from 1,500 on Saturday, compared with its usual schedule of 2,300 daily flights.
The operational gap translates to around 650 cancelled flights on Sunday alone. The airline also recorded an improvement in On-Time Performance (OTP), moving from roughly 30% on Saturday to 75% on Sunday, according to the airline.
The disruption remained widespread across major airports. As per data reported by Hindustan Times, cancellations on Sunday included 115 flights in Hyderabad, 112 in Mumbai, 109 in Delhi, 38 in Chennai, and 11 in Amritsar, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, rescheduled, or awaiting refunds.
Regulator Steps In
Amid public pressure and growing criticism, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, asking the airline to explain the mass disruptions and operational collapse.
“There is an enquiry and we have given them notices which they will have to submit within 24 hours,” Faiz Ahmed, directorate general at DGCA told The Core.
But the pilot association does not have much hope from the show cause.
“Who created this mess? IndiGo did. And what will happen now after the show-cause probe — they will pay a fine of maybe a few lakhs, and that’s it. They will walk away without real accountability,” CS Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots, told The Core.
Refunds and Passenger Relief Timeline in Question
The civil aviation ministry has directed IndiGo to clear all pending refunds by December 7, a deadline many expect will be difficult to meet.
“We are monitoring that the refunds are in process by the airline and on track,” Ahmed said.
Randhawa estimates that as many as 6–7 lakh passengers have been affected.
“Even if half of them take refunds, it will take months. Rebooking availability is limited—many flights have only 10–20 seats. Those waiting to rebook without cancellations will take months, unless all 7 lakh passengers cancel the flights,” he said.
What Really Happened With IndiGo?
The ongoing crisis stems from a breakdown in operational planning and a shortage in crew availability following the implementation of new FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitation) Phase-II rules, which regulate pilot rest and flying hours.
“Aircraft are on ground, pilots are available, cabin crew is available — but flights are not going,” Randhawa said. “The problem is not shortage — it is mismanagement.”
IndiGo argued the new rules triggered staffing and scheduling challenges. However, industry voices disagree.
But was the FDTL the real reason for the crisis?
“The FDTL rules are not the cause of this problem. At best, IndiGo may have been short of 60–70 captains — and that could have led to five or ten cancellations, not over 3,000. Even a shortage of 70 captains cannot justify 3,500 cancellations in five or six days,” Randhawa said.
What really triggered this crisis was the winter schedule. IndiGo added around 150 additional flights and began optimising operations to maximise aircraft and crew utilisation.
“They were also integrating new software to support this. In the process, things went wrong — and eventually, the system collapsed,” Randhawa added.
Government Intervention and Temporary Rollback
In response, aviation authorities met with pilots associations and agreed to temporarily relax the new FDTL rules until February 10, effectively granting IndiGo more operational breathing room.
“If the rollback was meant to fix the issue, operations should have returned to normal by now. The rules were reversed 48 hours ago, yet nothing feels normal,” Sam Thomas, President of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), told The Core.
“At this point, we don’t even know which FDTL framework is actually in force. We had an older FDTL, which was later modified following a court order. Now, with this rollback, are we supposed to follow the previous rule, the version before that, or something else entirely? What exactly are pilots expected to comply with today?” Thomas added.
But the extension until February has raised concerns.
“That should not have been given. Their own CEO admitted there’s a software and planning mess. If flights are still being cancelled even today, who is responsible?” Randhawa said.
IndiGo Says Stability Is Returning
In a fresh statement, IndiGo stated, “Our teams are working relentlessly to stabilise operations. Our focus remains on restoring customer experience. We are making significant progress, with higher predictable cancellations and better OTP.”
The airline said that cancellations are now being made earlier in the planning cycle, allowing customers more notice.
But Randhawa said that the airline is in a lot of mess.
“Pilots sitting in Bengaluru are told to operate flights out of Pune. That is how last-minute everything still is.”
