IndiGo, India's largest airline, has been going through one of the biggest operational disruptions in recent times, leaving lakhs of passengers stranded across major airports. Flyers have faced massive delays and cancellations since Tuesday.
Severe pilot shortage sparks flight cancellations
As per a report by the Times of India, more than 200 flights were cancelled on Wednesday alone by IndiGo, after it had cancelled over 100 flights per day in the last four to five days. Several delays stretched up to 10 hours, leading to long queues, crowded terminals and widespread frustration among passengers.
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According to government data, IndiGo's OTP plummeted to 35% on December 2, the worst among all scheduled airlines. For a carrier that carries almost a million passengers every three days, the scale of disruption has been huge.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has summoned the airline's top management to explain the "unprecedented disruptions" and present a recovery plan. As per the report by The Times of India, officials said they are working with IndiGo to reduce cancellations and stabilise operations during the peak travel season, when domestic passenger traffic has crossed five lakh flyers per day. “DGCA is investigating the situation and evaluating measures along with the airline to reduce cancellations and delays to minimise inconvenience being caused to passengers”, Times of India quoted a DGCA official as saying.
Crew constraints and new FDTL rules add pressure
As many as 62 per cent of IndiGo's 1,232 cancellations in November were due to "crew constraints", DGCA data showed. New FDTL norms, which came into effect from November 1, were brought in to tackle long-standing complaints of pilot fatigue. Though the rules enforced safer work hours, it also raised the demand for pilots.
According to the report by Hindustan Times, the airline, according to industry sources, failed to prepare for the revised norms, leading to cracks in scheduling and rostering. IndiGo’s OTP slipped sharply from 84.1% in October to 67.7% in November before crashing this week.
Airfares soar as IndiGo trims flights
Uncertainty over flight operations, with IndiGo initiating "calibrated adjustments" to its schedule for the next 48 hours, has pushed airfares to unusually high levels.
Prices for a one-way economy ticket on popular routes on December 5 and 6 have witnessed steep hikes:
Delhi-Bengaluru: ₹ 11,000 to ₹ 43,145
Mumbai-Kolkata: Rs 8,000 to Rs 19,000
Several airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, reported nearly 200 cancellations by Wednesday afternoon.
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IndiGo cites multiple operational challenges
IndiGo said disruptions were due to several reasons: “a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges, including minor technology glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system, and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules (flight duty time limitations), which, it said, had a negative compounding impact on operations in a way that was not feasible to be anticipated.”
These factors combined in a cascading effect that could not have been predicted, the airline maintained. By midweek, the wave of cancellations was continuing, with airport officials across major hubs reporting chaos and logistical strain. IndiGo has said the temporary cuts will help in stabilising operations and gradually restore punctuality across the network.
