New Delhi: IndiGo’s operational crisis continued for an eighth straight day on Tuesday, December 9, with more than 270 fresh flight cancellations reported across the country, hitting major hubs hard and prompting the government to move towards curtailing the airline’s winter schedule and reallocating routes to other operators.
Over 4,500 cancellations, major hubs crippled
According to airport data, over 200 IndiGo flights were cancelled on Tuesday alone. Bengaluru emerged as the worst-hit, accounting for 121 cancellations, followed by Hyderabad with 58 and Chennai with 41. At least four flights were cancelled in Kerala, while Ahmedabad and Mumbai also reported disruptions, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
The current wave of cancellations began last Tuesday and has so far resulted in more than 4,500 grounded flights. Despite the airline stating that operations were stabilising, Monday alone saw over 500 cancellations, adding to passenger distress at airports nationwide.
IndiGo has said it has delivered over 4,500 bags to passengers and processed refunds worth Rs 827 crore so far, though delays and uncertainty continue to affect travellers.
Government steps in, DGCA relaxes duty norms
The civil aviation ministry has blamed IndiGo’s internal crew rostering and operational planning for the disruption. Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu told Parliament that the airline did not flag any problems during a key meeting on December 1, a day before the cancellations began.
The crisis has been linked to IndiGo’s failure to fully implement the second phase of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations, introduced in November to reduce pilot fatigue, amid reported crew shortages.
To ease immediate pressure, aviation regulator DGCA has temporarily relaxed certain duty and rest norms for pilots, including night-duty provisions. However, the Airline Pilots’ Association of India has flagged safety concerns over these exemptions.
The government has now decided to curtail IndiGo’s winter schedule. The airline currently operates around 2,200 flights a day and holds nearly 60 percent of India’s domestic market. Officials said at least 100 daily flights could be withdrawn and reassigned to other carriers.
Senior aviation ministry officials have also been deployed for on-ground inspections at 10 major airports, including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, as Parliament prepares to take up the issue again in the Lok Sabha.
