According to reporting by The Indian Express, IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced significant flight disruptions in recent days, driven primarily by a shortage of crew following the introduction of new rest and duty regulations. The situation worsened on Tuesday, December 2, and Wednesday December 3, with widespread delays and a sharp rise in cancellations across the carrier’s network. In response, IndiGo has introduced what it calls “calibrated adjustments” to its schedule, a measure expected to last 48 hours. Although the airline has not detailed these adjustments, industry sources indicate they involve selective rescheduling and cancellations to align operations with available crew levels.
The Indian Express notes that IndiGo has also pointed to additional pressures, including minor technology issues, airport congestion, seasonal timetable changes and adverse weather, all of which contributed to mounting delays. More than 150 flights were estimated to have been cancelled on Wednesday alone, with many others facing lengthy delays. Social media channels were filled with complaints from passengers stranded or disrupted at airports across India.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the country’s aviation regulator, has taken note of the situation and launched an investigation. It has requested full details from IndiGo on the causes of the disruption, as well as plans for restoring operational stability.
In a statement quoted by The Indian Express, IndiGo acknowledged the breadth of the challenges it faced, describing them as “a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges” that combined to create a level of disruption that could not reasonably have been anticipated. The airline is now working to restore its schedule as swiftly as possible while managing the constraints imposed by the updated crew rostering rules and broader pressures on the aviation system.
