IndiGo Flight Chaos: Crew Shortages and Peak-Season Delays Grip India’s Aviation

Indias largest airline, IndiGo, is currently facing a significant operational crisis, marked by widespread flight cancellations and extensive delays across the country. This chaos, observed at major airports from Chennai to Delhi, stems primarily from a severe shortage of crew and pilots. The situation has led to angry passengers and disruptions for a carrier that commands over 60% of the domestic market.

In response to the escalating issues, the Civil Aviation Minister convened a meeting with IndiGo officials. The airline was reportedly reprimanded for its failure to proactively hire additional staff to manage peak-season operations.

Consequently, IndiGo has been directed to commence immediate recruitment efforts to stabilise its services and must provide bi-weekly updates on its hiring progress to the ministry.

Further measures include fresh directives issued to ATC units and airport directors to ensure smoother operations during this busy travel period. The government is also reviewing potential relaxations to the new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms, following concerns raised by IndiGo and industry experts.

Passengers are advised to verify their flight status before travelling to airports, as IndiGos operational challenges continue to ripple through Indias aviation network.