India’s largest low-cost airline, IndiGo, faced yet another day of heavy operational disruption on Thursday, as widespread flight cancellations continued across multiple airports in the country. The airline has been struggling with severe crew shortages and other operational challenges, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and frustrated.
Airports in major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad reported significant cancellations. At Delhi airport alone, more than 30 scheduled departures were cancelled early Thursday morning. Bengaluru airport authorities confirmed that 73 IndiGo flights had been cancelled, while Hyderabad witnessed approximately 33 cancellations. Several flights from Mumbai were also grounded as part of the ongoing disruption.
Sources indicated that the situation could worsen, with more than 170 flights likely to be cancelled throughout the day.
The chaos triggered an outpouring of complaints on social media. One passenger posted that they had been waiting at Hyderabad Airport from 6 PM on Wednesday until 9 AM on Thursday with no clarity on their delayed Pune-bound flight. Another described the scene as “total chaos”, alleging that passengers were repeatedly told the delay would last only “two more hours,” with no accommodation or proper assistance provided even after waiting more than 12 hours.
The cancellations follow a difficult week for IndiGo, which saw around 200 flights cancelled on Wednesday across major metro hubs. The airline operates an estimated 2,200 flights per day and plays a critical role in India’s aviation network, making the disruption far-reaching.
IndiGo issued a public apology, acknowledging that its operations had been “significantly disrupted.” The airline said that a combination of factors, including minor system issues, increased air traffic congestion, winter schedule adjustments, adverse weather and updated crew rostering regulations, had created a cascading impact on its services. In an attempt to stabilise the situation, IndiGo announced that it was implementing controlled schedule adjustments for the next 48 hours in order to gradually restore normal operations.
A key factor behind the ongoing crisis appears to be the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms affecting flight crew schedules. The updated regulations, introduced in phases since July and fully enforced from November 1, mandate longer rest hours and limit the number of night landings. These measures, aimed at improving safety and preventing pilot fatigue, have contributed to a shortage of available crew and increased scheduling complexity.
As the disruptions escalated, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) summoned IndiGo officials for a meeting on Thursday to address the situation. The aviation regulator confirmed that it had already begun investigating the airline’s operational performance and had requested a detailed report outlining the causes of the cancellations and the corrective measures being taken.
Data shared with the DGCA showed that IndiGo cancelled 1,232 flights in November. Of these, 755 were linked to crew shortages and FDTL rules, 258 were attributed to airspace or airport constraints, 92 to air traffic control failures, and 127 to other miscellaneous factors. The airline’s punctuality has also taken a hit, with its on-time performance dropping from 84.1 percent in October to 67.7 percent in November.
With ongoing uncertainty and passengers continuing to face long delays, the airline has advised travelers to check flight status updates before heading to airports. Meanwhile, all eyes remain on the DGCA meeting and IndiGo’s recovery plans, as travellers and industry stakeholders wait for clarity on when normal operations will resume.
