TNI Bureau: IndiGo cancelled at least 250 flights on Thursday, as major airports across India faced disruptions due to new crew rostering rules and scheduling issues. On Wednesday, the airline had cancelled over 150 flights, with its on-time performance (OTP) dropping sharply to 19.7% from 35% a day earlier, according to DGCA data.
Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Bengaluru were the worst affected. On Thursday, 33 flights were cancelled from Delhi, 68 from Hyderabad, 85 from Mumbai, and 73 from Bengaluru. On Wednesday, Delhi saw 67 cancellations (37 departures and 30 arrivals), Bengaluru 42, Hyderabad 40 (19 departures and 21 arrivals), and Mumbai 33 (17 departures and 16 arrivals).
The chaos was caused by updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), technology glitches, heavy congestion, adverse weather, and a recent Airbus A320 software patch that disrupted crew scheduling. Baggage system issues at Delhi’s Terminals 1 and 3 added to the problems.
In November, IndiGo had cancelled 1,232 flights, with 755 linked to FDTL-related issues, and OTP fell to 67.7% from 84.1% in October.
Amid the ongoing disruptions, the DGCA has summoned IndiGo officials and launched a probe into the airline’s operations, seeking explanations for the repeated flight cancellations and delays. The regulator is monitoring the situation closely and has asked the airline to take urgent measures to stabilise its operations.
