IndiGo disruption deepens: Scores of cancellations across airports on Friday, all IndiGo domestic flights from Delhi cancelled

IndiGo has so far not commented on Friday’s disruption. Sources said that the airline is scaling back operations to restore schedule stability, with indications that it might be hitting the reset button on its flight operations. On Thursday, the carrier that dominates the Indian skies with a market share of over 60 per cent, had informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that more flight cancellations could be expected over the next two to three days as part of IndiGo’s schedule stabilisation efforts. The airline also informed the regulator that it will start reducing flight operations from Monday (December 8) to minimise the disruption, and expects normalised and stable operations to be fully restored by February 10, as per a DGCA release.

The carrier also requested the DGCA for exemptions from some night operations-related changes in the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots till February 10. The regulator asked the airline to submit for review the specific relaxations being sought, and sources indicated that some relief is likely to be granted given the scale of the disruption. IndiGo accepted that it had misjudged its flight crew requirement under the new FDTL rules, which became the primary cause of the widespread disruption, which the airline has been grappling with since Monday. With each passing day, the scale of the disruption has expanded.

Under the new FDTL rules, weekly rest period for pilots has been increased to 48 hours from 36, and night landings have been limited to two from six earlier. The new norms have also extended the definition of night hours and capped consecutive night duties to just two days a week, which has also imposed additional constraints on IndiGo’s operations, as the airline operates a significant number of night-time flights. The new norms were implemented in two phases—from July 1 and November 1.

The primary reason for this disruption is crew shortages in the wake of the new FDTL rules. As per the DGCA, IndiGo informed it that the disruptions “have arisen primarily from misjudgement and planning gaps in implementing” the second phase of new FDTL rules, with the airline accepting that the actual crew requirement for the new rules exceeded what it had anticipated. According to data presented to the DGCA by IndiGo, the new FDTL rules require 2,422 captains and 2,153 first officers to operate its Airbus A320 fleet to maintain stable operations. But it currently has 2,357 captains and 2,194 first officers operating the A320 aircraft.

Although the new FDTL rules apply to all domestic airlines, IndiGo has been the most severely affected carrier. The factors that have made IndiGo more vulnerable, according to industry sources, include its massive scale of operations, a high-frequency network, significant number of night and wee hour flights, and high aircraft and crew utilisation levels, leaving little elbow room for the airline to manage crew shortages.

IndiGo’s aircraft and crew utilisation levels are higher than other Indian carriers. With its fleet of over 400 aircraft, IndiGo operates over 2,300 flights a day, and follows a lean staffing model. By contrast, the next biggest airline group—Air India—operates less than half the number of flights IndiGo operates.

The DGCA directed IndiGo to submit a mitigation plan for current disruptions, listing the immediate steps to stabilise operations and ensure a progressive reduction in cancellations. It also directed the airline to submit a detailed progress report every 15 days “covering operational improvements, crew availability, and roster stability”.

“IndiGo is directed to submit the FDTL relaxations required to normalise the flight operations for DGCA review,” the regulator added. The airline will also have to submit a detailed roadmap covering projected crew recruitment vis-a-vis induction of aircraft, which shall be reviewed by DGCA. Also, the plan for crew training, roster restructuring, safety-risk assessments, and mitigation measures leading to full compliance with immediate effect.

“We confirm that all IndiGo domestic flights departing from Delhi Airport (DEL) on Dec 5, 2025 stand cancelled till 11:59 PM. We express our profound apologies to all our valued customers and stakeholders who have been significantly impacted by these unforeseen events.

“To support our affected customers, we are offering them refreshments, next available flight options as per their preference, hotel accommodation, assistance in retrieving their luggage and full refunds, as applicable. All passengers who were scheduled to fly from Delhi today are requested to get in touch with our ground staff at Delhi Airport for guidance regarding luggage collection.

Passengers can visit our website at https://www.goindigo.in/refund.html or contact our customer service for assistance.

We understand the immense inconvenience and distress this has caused, and sincerely regret the inconvenience”, an IndiGo Spokesperson said on the issue.