NEW DELHI: A severe pilot shortage has triggered widespread disruptions at IndiGo, India’s largest airline, leaving lakhs of passengers stranded amid massive delays and cancellations since Tuesday.
On Wednesday alone, more than 200 flights were cancelled, following nearly 100 cancellations a day over the past four to five days. Several flights were delayed by up to 10 hours.
IndiGo’s on-time performance (OTP) plummeted to 35% on December 2, the lowest among all scheduled Indian carriers, prompting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to demand an explanation for the “unprecedented disruptions.”
Passenger distress rises; DGCA steps in
With IndiGo carrying nearly one million passengers every three days, the cascading impact has been felt nationwide. Intense public frustration and social media backlash pushed aviation authorities into action. The DGCA summoned IndiGo’s senior management on Thursday to explain the situation and outline corrective measures during the peak travel season, when domestic air traffic is averaging over five lakh passengers a day.
The regulator is assessing options with the airline to reduce cancellations and minimise passenger inconvenience, an official said.
Air fares surge amid large-scale flight cuts
IndiGo said on Wednesday evening that it had initiated “calibrated adjustments” — effectively temporary flight cuts — for the next 48 hours to stabilise operations and restore punctuality. The airline acknowledged its network was “significantly disrupted” over the past two days.
Data shows the crisis has been building. In November, 62% of IndiGo’s 1,232 cancellations were due to crew constraints. The airline has been struggling to adjust to new, stricter Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) introduced on November 1 to address long-standing pilot fatigue concerns. Industry sources said the airline had not adequately prepared for the increased pilot requirement despite advance notice of the rule change.
The impact on fares has been dramatic. A one-way economy ticket for Delhi–Bengaluru for December 5 and 6 ranged between ₹11,000 and ₹43,145. Mumbai–Kolkata fares surged to ₹8,000–₹19,000.
IndiGo cites multiple operational challenges
The airline attributed the chaos to “a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges,” including:
- minor technical glitches
- winter schedule adjustments
- adverse weather
- increased airspace congestion
- implementation of updated crew-rostering rules
Together, IndiGo said, these factors had “a negative compounding impact” that was difficult to foresee.
Disruptions peak across major airports
IndiGo’s punctuality has been slipping for weeks, but the crisis escalated this week. Only 35% of its 2,200+ daily flights operated on time on December 2. By Wednesday afternoon, nearly 200 cancellations had been reported across major hubs including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
Airport officials said the scale of delays and cancellations was creating operational challenges across terminals, stranding thousands of travellers and disrupting schedules throughout the sector.
