IndiGo Chaos Day 3: Over 180 Flights Cancelled Across Major Airports; Situation To Improve In 48 Hours, Says Airline

New Delhi: IndiGo's operational crisis entered day 3 on Thursday after a fresh wave of disruptions hit flight services of the airline, as around 180 flights were cancelled across several airports in the country. Several videos of chaos at airports surfaced online. The airline is struggling with an acute crew shortage of manpower.

Due to disruptions of flight operations, thousands of passengers were left stranded and frustrated at airports. Delhi witnessed over 30 cancellations, while Bengaluru faced the highest 73 cancellations of flights. As per Hindustan Times, 10 flights were also cancelled at the Kolkata Airport. Responding to the ongoing crisis, IndiGo apologised to passengers.

Lists of flights cancelled across major cities:

Delhi - Over 30

Bengaluru - 73

Kolkata - 10

Mumbai - 85

IndiGo's statement:

The airline issued a public apology over the ongoing crisis. The airline blamed “unexpected operational issues” for the cancellations and delays in flights, reported News18. IndiGo said that flight operations will become normal in the next 48 hours.

“We acknowledge that IndiGo’s operations have been significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days, and we sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused,” an airline spokesperson said, as quoted by PTI.

As per the airline, the operational crisis erupted due to a combination of factors, including technology glitches, adverse weather in key sectors, heavy airspace congestion, and operational strain caused by updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) implemented in November, which restrict pilot duty hours.

What DGCA said:

On Wednesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) launched a formal investigation into IndiGo after reports of widespread operational disruptions led to at least 150 flight cancellations and large-scale delays across major airports.

The aviation regulator also summoned the airline for an explanation and a concrete mitigation plan, as thousands of passengers faced cascading schedule breakdowns.

Pilots’ body Slams IndiGo:

Pilots' body Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze."

FIP said it has urged the safety regulator, DGCA, not to approve airlines' seasonal flight schedules unless they have adequate staff to operate their services "safely and reliably" under the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

In a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) late Wednesday, FIP urged the DGCA to consider re-evaluating and reallocating slots to other airlines which have the capacity to operate them without disruption during the peak holiday and fog season if IndiGo continues to "fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages."