What’s causing IndiGo’s Flight Chaos this Week?

India’s largest airline, IndiGo, continues to face major disruptions for a fourth straight day, with around 550 flights cancelled on Thursday and about 400 more scrapped on Friday due to an acute crew shortage. The airline has informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that normal operations are expected to resume by 10 February and has sought temporary relaxation of rules governing pilots’ night duty hours.

Flight operations at several airports — including Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, and Thiruvananthapuram — have been heavily affected. In Delhi, IndiGo’s arrivals and departures were suspended until 3 pm, while at Bengaluru, over 100 flights were cancelled. Pune and other airports reported similar disruptions and diversions under the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) Phase 2 framework.

The DGCA stated that the chaos stemmed from inadequate planning and miscalculation of crew requirements during the transition to the new FDTL norms. Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu has directed IndiGo to restore normalcy swiftly and ensure ticket prices remain stable.

IndiGo issued a public apology, assuring passengers and stakeholders of a speedy recovery effort. Meanwhile, InterGlobe Aviation’s shares fell 3.4% on Thursday and nearly 6% during the week as uncertainty persists over further cancellations.