Chaos has continued for a third consecutive day at India's busiest airports after the country's largest carrier, IndiGo, cancelled close to 550 flights on Thursday. The widespread disruption has left thousands of passengers stranded and angry at major hubs including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai.
Mounting Pressure and Passenger Stranding
The latest round of cancellations piles further pressure on the airline, which was already under scrutiny for cancelling over 1,200 flights in November. According to the national civil aviation regulator, at least 755 of those November cancellations were directly attributed to the government's implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules.
Passengers faced severe delays, with some flights postponed by over ten hours. Scenes of confusion unfolded as travellers crowded around IndiGo counters and departure boards, many clutching phones in a futile attempt to reach overwhelmed customer care. "We are relying on staff completely. Staff are cooperating but are frankly saying they aren't aware what's happening," said one stranded passenger, Rakesh Bhanushali, a chartered accountant from Mumbai.
The Core of the Crisis: New Rules and Planning Gaps
In a statement, IndiGo apologised for the "widespread disruption," citing a combination of adverse weather, airport congestion, and the new crew rostering regulations. However, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) pointed to significant failures in the airline's planning.
Following a briefing from the airline, the regulator stated that the disruptions "have arisen primarily from misjudgment and planning gaps" in implementing the second phase of the FDTL rules. IndiGo itself admitted that actual crew requirements had exceeded its forecasts. The new rules, designed to ensure adequate rest for pilots and cabin crew to combat fatigue, have complicated roster management for an airline already grappling with a pilot shortage.
Operational Meltdown and Financial Fallout
The scale of the cancellations was stark. On Wednesday, IndiGo cancelled 67 flights in Delhi, 40 in Hyderabad, 33 in Mumbai, and 62 in Bengaluru. By Thursday, the situation worsened, with reports indicating 118 cancellations in Mumbai, 100 in Bangalore, 75 in Hyderabad, 35 in Kolkata, 26 in Chennai, and 11 in Goa.
The airline's famed operational efficiency has taken a severe hit. Government data showed IndiGo's on-time performance plummeted to just 35 per cent on Tuesday, the worst among all Indian carriers and a far cry from its typical rate of above 80 per cent this year. The financial markets reacted swiftly, with the airline's stock falling 3.4 per cent on Thursday, marking a 6 per cent decline for the week.
In response to the crisis, IndiGo has sought relief from some of the new provisions, particularly those limiting night duty hours for pilots. The carrier has told the DGCA that it expects to fully restore normal operations by 10 February 2025. As the airline controlling a 60 per cent share of the domestic market and operating over 2,200 daily flights, its recovery is critical to restoring stability across India's aviation network.
