The ongoing flight disruptions by IndiGo continue to wreak havoc across major Indian airports, with the airline cancelling more than 200 flights in the past two days.
The chaos that began on Wednesday spilled into Thursday with travellers still facing long delays, cancellations, and uncertainty over travel plans.
The airline has apologised to affected passengers and warned of possible further cancellations through Friday, as it works to implement what it calls “calibrated schedule adjustments” to stabilise its operations over the next 48 hours.
Officials and independent analysts say the disruption is primarily driven by a sudden crew shortage, triggered by the recent enforcement of stricter roster- and duty-time regulations under new Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) norms.
Compounding the problem: technical glitches at several airports, heavy winter-season schedule changes, bad weather and increased air-traffic congestion — factors which combined to derail IndiGo’s typically timely operations.
According to airline insiders, many flights had to be cancelled because crew members scheduled under the old rostering system became unavailable under the new duty-time limits. IndiGo runs around 2,300 flights daily, making it India’s largest carrier — so even a small staffing disruption rippled across its entire network.
Meanwhile, the DGCA has stepped in. It has asked IndiGo to submit a detailed report explaining what went wrong, and to propose a concrete plan to reduce cancellations and delays.
Passengers have expressed anger and frustration — many left stranded at airports, facing long queues, gate changes, and little communication from airline staff. Videos and complaints have flooded social media, with travellers demanding accountability and timely refunds or alternate bookings.
As the aviation watchdog probes the crisis, all eyes are on whether IndiGo’s corrective actions over the next 48 hours will be enough to restore normalcy and passenger confidence