Has IndiGo flight cancellation problem ended? Here's what we know so far
Over the past four days, IndiGo has seen well over 1,000 flight cancellations, termed by the airline as a “serious operational crisis.”
Hundreds of flights were cancelled on Saturday as IndiGo flight disruptions continued to cause inconvenience to passengers for a fifth straight day.
Long queues at the airports and confusion amid delays and cancellations, as well as chaos surrounding passengers' baggage, has led to widespread discontent directed towards India's largest airline.
In five days, IndiGo has seen well over 2,000 flight cancellations, a circumstance termed by the airline as a “serious operational crisis”.
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What is the situation now?
The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi late on Friday evening said flight operations were “steadily resuming” and would be “getting back to normalcy.”
Indigo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Elbers said things are likely to return to normal between December 10 and December 15. “It will take some time to return to a full normal situation, which we do anticipate between 10-15 December,” Elbers said.
The airline, while apologising to the passengers, assured full refunds for all cancellations and offered a full waiver on all cancellation/ rescheduling requests for bookings for travel between December 5, 2025 and December 15, 2025.
FTDL rules put in abeyance till Feb 2026
According to aviation insiders and regulators, the disruptions are primarily caused by the implementation of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which introduces new duty-hour rules to prevent pilot fatigue.
The rules mandate 48 hours of weekly rest for crew, a longer night duty window, sharp cut in night landings, and a cap of 8 flying hours during night operations.
These meant that a large chunk of IndiGo’s pilots were put on compulsory rest just as the airline expanded its frequency for the winter schedule on October 26.
In view of the situation, IndiGo requested time until February 10, 2026 to fully stabilise operations, HT learnt. Following this, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the FTDL orders were “placed in abeyance with immediate effect for now to stabilise operations and prioritise relief for affected passengers.”
Naidu said a high-level inquiry had also been instituted, adding that “accountability will be fixed” and measures taken to prevent disruptions in the future.
