IndiGo Crisis: Airline Grounds More Than 400 Flights on December 6

IndiGo’s ongoing operational challenges persisted on December 7, leading to the cancellation of over 400 flights nationwide. This prompted the Ministry of Civil Aviation to issue stringent directives mandating that the airline finalize all passenger refunds by the evening of December 7 and ensure that baggage is returned to its owners within 48 hours.

The cancellations impacted major hubs, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Pune, extending disruptions into their fifth straight day. Bengaluru experienced the greatest disruption, with 124 flights cancelled, followed by 109 in Mumbai, 106 in Delhi, and 66 in Hyderabad, as reported by airport officials.

The turmoil follows an extensive wave of over 1,000 cancellations on December 5, marking one of the worst operational failures in Indian aviation history. IndiGo has attributed these disruptions to difficulties in adhering to the second phase of new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules for cockpit crew, resulting in a significant shortage of crew members.
Also read | IndiGo instructed to complete passenger refunds and return baggage by Dec 7 evening
After several days of silence, IndiGo chief Pieter Elbers released a video statement on Friday expressing regret over the situation, indicating that the airline anticipated “fewer than 1,000 flights on Saturday” and recognized that stabilization would require time.

However, regulatory authorities have associated the crisis with poor crew planning by the airline. On Friday, the DGCA permitted temporary relaxations to aid in restoring operations, including retracting the extended night-duty definition and allowing more night landings.

The pilots’ union, ALPA India, strongly condemned the decision, labeling the selective relief as “unsafe” and warning that it “destroyed regulatory parity” and placed “millions of passengers at increased risk.” The association accused the Ministry of contradicting court-mandated fatigue-mitigation rules by suspending FDTL implementation, arguing that delaying rest-time protections jeopardized both crew and passengers.

Also read | Aviation ministry caps airfares amid IndiGo disruptions to safeguard passengers from price increases

IndiGo was among the initial carriers to oppose the revised norms upon their introduction in 2024, citing the necessity for more time to enhance crew capacity. The rules—which lengthen weekly rest to 48 hours, expand night-time duty periods, and limit night landings—were ultimately rolled out in phases following a directive from the Delhi High Court.

As the turmoil continues, airports remain under strain. Pune Airport alone recorded 42 cancellations on Saturday, with staff mobilized to manage congestion and assist stranded travelers.