India's largest airline, IndiGo, is facing a severe operational crisis, with widespread flight cancellations disrupting travel for thousands of passengers across major airports for a third consecutive day on Thursday. The budget carrier is grappling with significant crew shortages and a cascade of compounding operational issues.
Passengers at key hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad have been left stranded, with frustration mounting as the airline struggles to normalise its schedule. Sources indicate that over 170 IndiGo flights were likely cancelled on Thursday alone.
The cancellations have been extensive. Early Thursday, over 30 IndiGo flights scheduled to depart from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport were axed. Hyderabad saw approximately 33 cancellations, while a spokesperson for Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport confirmed a staggering 73 IndiGo flight cancellations for the day. Several flights were also cancelled at Mumbai airport.
This follows a day of similar chaos on Wednesday, when Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad collectively reported around 200 flight cancellations.
Across social media platform X (formerly Twitter), harrowing tales of inconvenience have emerged from affected travellers. One user detailed a 15-hour ordeal at Hyderabad airport, waiting for a Pune flight with no resolution from the airline. "This situation has caused significant inconvenience," they posted.
Another passenger described "total chaos" at Hyderabad airport, with flights delayed over 12 hours. "To not give accommodation, they kept pushing it by 'just 2 more hours' every single time for 12 hours. Same excuse: crew is coming soon. Unacceptable," the user stated.
The airline, which operates approximately 2,200 flights daily, has acknowledged the severe disruption. In a statement released on Wednesday, IndiGo "sincerely apologised" to its customers, stating that its operations were "significantly disrupted."
The airline attributed the meltdown to a "multitude of unforeseen operational challenges." These include:
Minor technology glitches
Schedule changes linked to the winter season
Adverse weather conditions in parts of the country
Increased congestion in the aviation system
Implementation of updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations - FDTL)
IndiGo stated that these factors created a "negative compounding impact on our operations in a way that was not feasible to be anticipated."
While the airline cited multiple reasons, industry sources and passenger accounts point to an acute shortage of available crew as the primary catalyst for the ongoing crisis. The new FDTL rules, designed to enhance safety by regulating crew work hours, appear to have exacerbated existing rostering challenges, leaving the airline without sufficient staff to man its scheduled flights.
The disruption underscores the fragile nature of airline operations, where a single trigger can lead to nationwide cascading effects. As IndiGo works to reposition its crew and stabilise its network, passengers are advised to check their flight status directly with the airline before heading to the airport. The coming days will be critical for the carrier to restore normalcy and passenger confidence.
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