When will IndiGos operations stabilise?

Indigo continues to grapple with service disruptions for the fourth straight day. The continued disruption has caused fresh chaos for the passengers on Friday. Delhi airport has been the worst-hit, with officials confirming that 135 IndiGo departures & 90 arrivals have been cancelled on Friday.

At Bengaluru airport, 52 incoming and 50 outgoing IndiGo flights were cancelled on Friday. Reports suggest that the disruption has led to the cancellations of over 1000 Indigo flights in just four days. Notably, IndiGo, India's largest air carrier, once boasted of arriving at the destination before time.

Ahead of spiralling into a full-blown crisis, IndiGo was already struggling with a pilot shortage. As soon as the new FDTL rules kicked in, cancellations by IndiGo surged to hundreds per day. The new FDTL rules are aimed at preventing fatigue by increasing mandatory rest for crews and limiting night operations.

The rules have sharply reduced the number of flights pilots can operate. DGCA's initial probe found instances of inadequate passenger-handling arrangements at airports.

IndiGo suggested that flight reductions will continue for the next few days as part of a schedule reset. IndiGo also apologised to customers & said that they are working with aviation authorities to stabilise operations.

IndiGo indicated that its operations will be fully restored by February 10. After cancelling hundreds of flights, IndiGo has also sought relief from some provisions that limit pilot duty hours at night. Thousands of passengers remained stranded at airports after IndiGo flights were delayed or cancelled.

Debacle is being seen as a major setback for a two-decade-old airline that has more than 2,000 flights daily