Mumbai: IndiGo cancelled more than 70 flights on Wednesday, including several from major hubs like Bengaluru and Mumbai, as the airline continued to struggle with a severe crew shortage, according to sources. The staffing crunch also caused widespread delays across airports, with many flights waiting for available crew members before they could depart.
The airline acknowledged the disruptions, stating that cancellations and delays were caused by multiple factors. IndiGo said it had faced “unavoidable flight delays and some cancellations” in recent days due to issues such as technology glitches, airport congestion, and operational challenges.
Sources indicated that the second phase of the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms, which came into effect on November 1, had significantly strained IndiGo’s staffing capacity. The updated norms mandate longer weekly rest periods of 48 hours, extend official night hours, and limit night landings to two—down from the earlier six. These changes, initially resisted by domestic airlines, were eventually enforced following the Delhi High Court’s directions.
Industry insiders said IndiGo’s situation worsened sharply on Tuesday and escalated further on Wednesday, leading to high cancellation numbers. Data on the Civil Aviation Ministry’s website showed IndiGo’s on-time performance dropping to 35 per cent across six key airports on Tuesday. In comparison, Air India registered 67.2 per cent, Air India Express 79.5 per cent, SpiceJet 82.5 per cent, and Akasa Air 73.2 per cent.
The airline operates around 2,100 flights daily, including a large share of night operations, making the stricter FDTL rules particularly challenging to manage without additional crew. As of December 2, IndiGo had 416 aircraft in its fleet, with 366 active and 50 grounded, according to Planespotter.com—a slight increase from 47 grounded planes the previous month.
IndiGo has not given a timeline for full operational normalcy as the airline continues to work through its staffing and scheduling constraints.
