New Delhi: IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights Friday and said operations are expected to normalise in the next 10 days, as the country’s largest airline received flight duty norms relaxation from watchdog DGCA, which will probe the disruptions that have impacted thousands of passengers for four straight days.
As a large number of flights got cancelled and delayed, chaos continued at major airports across the country, with frustrated passengers scrambling for updates and searching for their baggage. Many passengers vented out their anger on social media, and airfares also sailed northwards for many routes.
The operations of IndiGo, which controls about two-thirds of the country’s domestic traffic and generally operates around 2,300 flights daily, failed to plan properly for the new flight duty norms that provide for increased rest periods and lesser night landings.
With air travel chaos continuing for the fourth consecutive day, DGCA Friday provided temporary exemption from the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, including on night landings and definition of night time, to the airline, which had sought the relaxations to normalise its operations.
The airline was required to implement the FDTL norms from November 1.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Friday said various operational measures, including keeping new flight duty norms in abeyance, will help address the IndiGo flight disruptions, and complete restoration of services is expected in next three days.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has constituted a four-member panel to ascertain the reasons that have led to the disruptions and also said that prima facie, the situation indicates deficiencies in internal oversight, operational preparedness, and compliance planning, “warranting an independent examination”.
The FDTL relaxations have been provided for only IndiGo’s A320 family planes, which account for the majority of its fleet, till February 10, 2026, officials said.
“This exemption has been granted solely to facilitate operational stabilisation and in no way amounts to dilution of safety requirements. During this period, DGCA would review after every fifteen days, the action taken by IndiGo to address the situation, including hiring of adequate crew to ensure FDTL compliance,” the civil aviation ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the regulator eased the FDTL norm, saying leaves can substitute weekly rest periods for pilots. These moves mean that more pilots will be available for operations and that will help in stabilising the situation.
On a day when IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers Friday said the situation is anticipated to normalise between December 10-15.
In his first video message since the disruptions began, Elbers apologised for the major inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the disruptions.
“Regrettably, earlier measures of the last few days have proven not to be enough. So we decided today for a reboot of all our systems and schedules, resulting in the highest number of cancellations so far, but imperative for progressive improvements starting tomorrow onwards.
“With these actions, we expect tomorrow to have cancellations below 1,000. The support of DGCA, in providing specific FDTL implementation relief, is of great help,” Elbers said.
The issue of IndiGo flight disruptions was also raised in the Parliament.
Pilots’ body Airlines’ Pilots Association (ALPA) India Friday took “strong” objection to safety regulator DGCA’s “selective and unsafe” relief to domestic carrier IndiGo, saying the decision sets a dangerous precedent.
The civil aviation ministry has taken urgent and proactive measures to address the ongoing disruption in flight schedules, particularly those of Indigo airlines, Naidu said in a statement.
“The Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) orders of the DGCA have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect. Without compromising on air safety, this decision has been taken solely in the interest of passengers, especially senior citizens, students, patients, and others who rely on timely air travel for essential needs,” he said.
According to him, the operational measures have been initiated to ensure that normal airline services are restored at the earliest.
“Based on the immediate implementation of these directives, we expect that flight schedules will begin to stabilise and return to normal by tomorrow. We anticipate that complete restoration of services will be achieved within the next three days,” the minister said.
The DGCA also issued an appeal to all the pilots and pilots’ associations to extend full cooperation amid the flight disruptions, and in view of the large-scale traffic demand due to winter holidays and marriage season.
In a rare move, IndiGo, which said it is rebooting the systems and schedules, on Friday suspended operations of all departing domestic flights from the Delhi airport, which is also its key hub, till Friday midnight.
PTI
