IndiGo scrambles to fix nationwide flight chaos, pledges full restoration by Feb 10

IndiGo, India’s largest carrier, has informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that normal flight operations will be fully restored only by February 10, after days of mass cancellations and mounting delays triggered by the implementation of new pilot duty regulations.

The airline said it will begin reducing scheduled flights from December 8 to stabilize operations — a move that may lead to continued cancellations over the coming days.

IndiGo has also sought a temporary exemption from certain night-time duty requirements introduced under the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms. The regulator has yet to approve the request, but sources indicate the scale of disruption may compel some relief.

In a rare acknowledgment, the airline admitted to the DGCA that it had misjudged its crew planning under the new rules — the single biggest cause of the operational breakdown.

Ministry steps in as cancellations spike

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken a stern view of the crisis, with Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu expressing “clear displeasure” over the way IndiGo handled the transition.

The minister noted the airline had ample time to prepare and has ordered it to resume full operations urgently — without passing the burden to passengers through fare hikes.

On Thursday, more than 250 flights were canceled, while on-time performance plunged to 19.7%, down from already-poor levels earlier this week. IndiGo typically operates above 80% punctuality and runs over 2,300 flights a day, giving it more than 60% market share in domestic aviation.

New rules add pressure to tight operating model

The revised FDTL framework — rolled out in two phases from July 1 and November 1 — increases pilot weekly rest periods from 36 to 48 hours, extends defined night-time flying hours, and caps consecutive night landings to two per week, down from six.

The rules apply to all airlines, but IndiGo has been hit hardest due to its high aircraft utilization, lean staffing, dense night-flight schedule, and network scale.

According to crew projections shared with the DGCA, IndiGo needs 2,422 captains and 2,153 first officers to operate its Airbus A320 fleet compliantly. It currently has 65 fewer captains and 41 more first officers than required, creating a significant gap worsened by roster rigidity and rising fatigue constraints.

Regulator demands roadmap, oversight intensifies

The DGCA has ordered IndiGo to provide:

• A formal mitigation plan to reduce cancellations
• Bi-weekly progress reports on pilot availability and roster stability
• A detailed crew recruitment and aircraft induction roadmap
• Safety-risk assessment and revised rostering plans in line with FDTL limits

Officers have already been deployed to IndiGo’s control centres and major airports to monitor operations in real time — with a focus on communication to stranded passengers.

Industry watchers say this was avoidable

While the revised norms were expected to tighten capacity across carriers, aviation analysts say IndiGo’s high dependency on night flying and “ultra-lean manpower model” amplified the impact.

By comparison, Air India — the country’s second-largest airline group — operates less than half of IndiGo’s daily flights.

As India’s aviation backbone struggles to regain stability, passengers are likely to face further disruptions before the network finally recovers — a process that now comes with a formal deadline: February 10.