‘Poor rostering, glitch in IndiGo’s software contributed to flight disruption’
Technical failures in IndiGo’s crew-rostering and scheduling software also compounded the airline’s crisis, two officials told HT
NEW DELHI: IndiGo’s nationwide flight disruptions were caused by poor rostering under the new flight duty time limits (FDTL) and a technical glitch in its crew-rostering and scheduling software, leading to widespread cancellations and delays across airports since Wednesday, two officials said.
Officials also said the airline faced technical issues in its baggage systems, affecting passengers in Delhi’s Terminal 3 and, more significantly, those in Terminal 1. While the technical glitch was resolved, cascading delays in receiving baggage continued to affect passengers.
“The issue has led to mounting operational strain and increasing pressure on airport infrastructure, and hence all the stakeholders have been asked to observe a vigil,” one of the officials said, explaining why aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had ordered a probe into IndiGo’s flight disruptions.
“The Government of India has decided to institute a high-level inquiry into this disruption. The inquiry will examine what went wrong at Indigo, determine accountability wherever required for appropriate actions, and recommend measures to prevent similar disruptions in the future, ensuring that passengers do not face such hardships again,” civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in a statement on Friday.
Naidu’s statement, which comes after a string of review meetings, said the ministry had taken urgent and proactive measures to address the ongoing disruption in flight schedules, particularly those of Indigo Airlines.
“.. the control room at the Ministry has been continuously engaging to maintain constant vigil over the unprecedented situation arising from the cancellation and delays of IndiGo flights. This morning, the Hon’ble Minister visited the control room and reviewed its functioning to ensure seamless communication among all stakeholders with a special focus on providing timely information to passengers. Real-time updates from all airports are being monitored to ensure adequate response and deployment of resources, particularly for facilitating passengers stranded at various terminals. Data from airport operators, airlines and ATC (Air Traffic Control) is being consolidated and shared with all airlines, especially IndiGo, along with necessary directives to mobilise resources and ensure timely, proactive action to ensure that normalcy of operations is restored at all airports across the country,” the ministry posted on X.
Another meeting was also attended by all airport directors of Airports Authority of India (AAI). “The meeting was held to instruct its AAI airports to coordinate closely with IndiGo to keep passengers updated on cancellations and delays, while also monitoring key passenger-handling facilities such as seating, waiting areas, food and beverages counters,” an official said.
“Senior officials from AAI, IndiGo and CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) have also been asked to remain present at terminals to address grievances on the spot,” he added.
An aviation ministry official said IndiGo saw a sharp and escalating rise in both cancellations and delays across its network from December 3
On December 3, IndiGo had 1,778 scheduled flights from all AAI airports. Of these, 190 were cancelled, and 877 were delayed. “The disruptions intensified on 4 December, when 1,585 flights were scheduled but cancellations jumped to 396, while 791 flights were delayed. The situation worsened further by 5 December; by noon, out of 1,354 scheduled flights in the AAI airports, as many as 682 had already been cancelled and 244 were delayed,” the official said.
The cascading impact of IndiGo’s cancelled flights was visible at several airports on Thursday.
For instance, Pune airport was forced to temporarily halt landings after all available parking bays were occupied by IndiGo aircraft that could not operate due to crew unavailability. “Three bays were later vacated to allow other airlines to continue operations, and IndiGo was advised to move its aircraft to RCS airports until space was freed up. Hence, officials have been asked to ensure no other airline operations are impacted due to IndiGo flight cancellations,” another official said.
Naidu said flight schedules would begin to stabilise and return to normal by tomorrow. “We anticipate that complete restoration of services will be achieved within the next three days,” he added.
“In case of any flight cancellations, the airlines will issue full refunds automatically, without the need for passengers to make any requests. Passengers who are stranded due to prolonged delays will be provided hotel accommodation arranged directly by the airlines,” the statement added.
