DGCA probes IndiGo flight disruption; asks airline to submit reasons, mitigation plans

The DGCA also asked IndiGo to submit the reasons for the current situation, as well as its mitigation plans in this regard.

Aviation watchdog DGCA on Wednesday said it is investigating IndiGo flight disruptions after at least 150 flights were cancelled and several others were delayed at major airports across the country due to what the airline described as "technical glitches and operational issues".

The DGCA also said that in November alone, 1,232 IndiGo flights were cancelled.(Reuters)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also asked the airline to submit the reasons for the current situation, as well as its mitigation plans in this regard.

Several airports and numerous services were delayed as IndiGo grappled with significant operational disruptions, mainly due to crew shortage. Apologising for the disruptions, the airline announced that it had initiated calibrated adjustments to its schedule for the next 48 hours to normalise and stabilise operations.

In a statement, the DGCA said that it is currently investigating the situation and evaluating measures, along with the airline, to reduce the number of cancellations and delays to minimise passenger inconvenience.

"IndiGo has been asked to report to DGCA, Headquarters, to present the facts leading to the current situation, along with plans to mitigate the ongoing delays & cancellations," news agency PTI cited the airline's statement.

The DGCA also said that in November alone, 1,232 IndiGo flights were cancelled, adding that 755 of them were cancelled due to restraints under the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).

FDTL limits the maximum time pilots and flight crews can work to prevent fatigue and ensure safety.

However, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) later clarified that the spate of IndiGo flight cancellations "cannot be attributed to the Delhi High Court-mandated" FDTL regulations for pilots.

What happened today?

At least 150 IndiGo flights were cancelled on Wednesday due to a technical glitch and other operational disruptions at various airports across the country. Around 67 flights were cancelled from Delhi, 14 from Hyderabad on Tuesday and 19 on Wednesday, 42 from Bengaluru, and 32 from Mumbai.

Akasa Air, Air India and SpiceJet were also among those with delayed flights after airlines using the Amadeus software faced an outage in check-in systems globally for around an hour on Tuesday night.

What IndiGo said

IndiGo "sincerely apologised" for the disruptions across its network for the past two days. The airline said it was caused by a range of unforeseen operational challenges, "including minor technology glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, and increased congestion in the aviation system".

It also cited FDTL as a reason for the cancellations and delays, saying that it had a negative compounding impact on the airline's operations in a way that was not feasible to anticipate.

To contain the disruption and restore stability, IndiGo said that it initiated "calibrated adjustments" to its schedules, adding that these measures will remain in place for the next 48 hours to enable normalisation of its operations.

FIP clarifies on IndiGo's FDTL reason

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) clarified late on Wednesday that series of IndiGo flight cancellations cannot be directly attributed to the Delhi High Court-mandated" FDTL regulations for pilots. "All other airlines have provisioned pilots adequately and remain largely unaffected due to timely planning and preparation," it added.

FIP said that the current disruption was the direct consequence of IndiGo's "prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in flight operations".

However, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) later clarified that the spate of IndiGo flight cancellations "cannot be attributed to the Delhi High Court-mandated" FDTL regulations for pilots.

"All other airlines have provisioned pilots adequately and remain largely unaffected due to timely planning and preparation," it added.

FIP said that despite having two full years to prepare for the FDTL preparation, IndiGo "inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, maintained a pilot pay freeze through cartel-like behaviour, and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices".

The pilot body said that after the rollout of FDTL's first phase in July this year, IndiGo reduced pilot leave quotas, and after the implementation of Phase 2 in November, the airline tried to buy back pilot leave.

"These measures saw poor response and further damaged pilot and employee morale — especially in a year when airline executives took home record increments approaching or exceeding 100%, while simultaneously blaming pilot migration instead of investing in retention and workplace improvements," the FIP added.

Despite being aware of the natural spike in demand for pilots during the busy winter fog season, the FIP said that IndiGo still expanded its winter schedule without recruiting or training additional pilots, raising serious questions about operational responsibility.

"There are growing concerns that flight delays and cancellations may be used as an “immature pressure tactic” to arm-twist regulators whenever rules do not suit airlines, instead of engaging in introspection and constructive compliance — reverting yet again to the outdated narrative of 'Blame the Pilots'," the FIP added.

"FIP strongly advocates that the DGCA must approve seasonal flight schedules only after airlines prove they have adequate pilot strength under the new FDTL norms to operate safely and reliably," the statement stated.

FIP further urged the DGCA to re-evaluate and reallocate slots to airlines such as Air India, Akasa Air and others who have the capacity to operate flights without disruption during the peak season if IndiGo continues to "fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages".

"With “IndiGo Standard Time” increasingly becoming synonymous with delays and cancellations, it is time for IndiGo to return to Indian Standard Time — and to management practices grounded in a “People First” philosophy, focusing on just culture, fair treatment, and employee morale, which has now become an urgent requirement," the federation, which consists of pilots from all the airlines, said.