New Delhi: India’s largest airline, IndiGo, continued to face severe operational turbulence on Tuesday, forcing the cancellation of close to 180 flights across its Bengaluru and Hyderabad hubs. The disruptions mark the eighth straight day of widespread flight cuts, raising concerns about the carrier’s ability to maintain its extensive network during the winter season.
According to airport officials, the impact was particularly visible in Bengaluru, where 121 flights were withdrawn from the day’s schedule—58 arrivals and 63 departures. Hyderabad was also heavily affected, with 58 cancellations, including 14 incoming and 44 outgoing flights.
The mounting disruptions come at a time when the airline is bracing for regulatory consequences. Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu indicated that the government intends to trim IndiGo’s slot allocation for the winter schedule, citing the airline’s inability to operate its approved routes.
In an interview with DD News, Naidu said the cutback would effectively act as a penalty. “We will definitely reduce the number of routes allotted to IndiGo in the winter schedule. The order will be issued, and these routes will be reassigned to other carriers,” he said. He added that IndiGo may regain these routes only after demonstrating consistent operational reliability.
IndiGo, which serves more than 90 domestic cities and over 40 international destinations, runs upward of 2,200 flights daily. Its massive scale means even a small percentage of cancellations significantly disrupts the national aviation grid. On Monday alone, the airline grounded more than 560 flights across six major metro airports.
The Gurugram-based airline, controlling more than 65 percent of India’s domestic market, has not publicly specified the root cause of the prolonged turbulence. However, aviation insiders suggest a combination of fleet constraints, crew shortages, and ongoing maintenance backlogs has sharply limited IndiGo’s ability to sustain normal operations.
With route reallocations looming and cancellations piling up, industry observers warn that the situation may worsen if corrective measures are not implemented swiftly.
