IndiGo’s operational crisis entered its fourth straight day, triggering widespread chaos at airports across the country, leaving thousands of passengers stranded with no food, no water, vacant counters and lost luggages. At least 102 IndiGo flights were canceled early on Friday at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
The airline cancelled over 550 domestic and international flights on Thursday, far above its usual 170–200 daily cancellations, causing widespread disruption across major airports. Most affected routes were linked to Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Goa.
The airline is grappling with significant flight disruptions due to a multitude of factors, including cabin crew woes and technology issues. IndiGo has adjusted its schedules which means that pre-planned service cancellations are being carried out as part of normalising operations.
This comes a day after IndiGo airlines informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that it would curtail flights from December 8 to minimise flight disruptions, and delays and cancellations will continue for the next two to three days.
During the meeting held with DGCA and Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, IndiGo said the widespread flight disruptions stretched on due to “misjudgement and planning gaps” in implementing the set of norms governing rest and duty for pilots from November 1, primarily those on restricting night flying.
The airline said more flights will be cancelled in the next two-three days. IndiGo flies around 2,300 flights daily and presents its punctuality as a hallmark; it recorded an on-time performance of 19.7 per cent on Wednesday, a steep fall from 35 per cent reported on Tuesday.
