The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a 5% reduction in IndiGo’s daily flight operations, resulting in the removal of around 115 flights from the airline’s regular schedule. With IndiGo operating close to 2,300 flights a day, the cut marks one of the most significant regulatory interventions in recent years.
According to a Times of India report, the airline has been informed of the decision, and authorities are working to identify which flights will be removed in a way that minimises disruption to connectivity. A decision on a further 5% reduction is expected in the coming days, depending on IndiGo’s operational performance and schedule adherence.
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New roster rules created a mismatch
IndiGo’s approved summer schedule included 14,158 weekly domestic flights. When the winter schedule came into effect on October 26, the airline increased its daily operations by 6%, touching 15,014 weekly flights.
At the same time, the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) which increase pilot requirement came into effect on November 1. Authorities claim IndiGo did not adequately prepare for the new staffing needs even as it expanded its schedule.
This mismatch led to modest cancellations in November, which escalated into a major disruption in early December, with hundreds of flights cancelled daily.
Impact on other airlines’ schedules
While IndiGo expanded aggressively, other major carriers saw their winter schedules shrink:
Air India: Weekly domestic flights reduced by 0.8%
Air India Express: Reduced by 6%
Akasa Air: Reduced by 5.7% (from 1,089 to 1,027 weekly flights)
SpiceJet: Increased operations by more than 26% (from 1,240 to 1,568 weekly flights)
India’s second-largest airline group which is Air India and AI Express also reported a combined 3% reduction in winter domestic flights. This has raised questions about how IndiGo was permitted to increase flights without matching crew availability under the FDTL rules, which are now on hold for IndiGo’s Airbus A320 fleet until February 10, 2026.
The aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu has taken a vow in Rajya Sabha stating that “very, very strict action” will be taken against the airline.
IndiGo cites multiple factors behind disruptions
IndiGo has attributed the crisis to what it described as a “compounding effect of multiple factors”, calling the situation an “unfortunate and unforeseeable confluence.”
According to the airline, the key contributors were:
Minor technical issues.
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Schedule adjustments linked to the start of the winter season.
Adverse weather and increased congestion.
Implementation of FDTL Phase II from November 1, 2025.
The airline maintains that each of these factors contributed “to a lesser or greater measure” to the operational breakdown.
