IndiGo cancels over 250 flights from Delhi, Bengaluru as crisis hits day 7
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Mumbai: IndiGo cancelled more than 250 flights from Delhi and Bengaluru airports on Monday as operational disruptions at the airline entered the seventh consecutive day, according to sources.
In a parallel development, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has extended the deadline for IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras to respond to the show-cause notice issued over the ongoing crisis. The regulator, which sent the notices on Saturday citing large-scale operational failures, had initially given 24 hours for a reply but has now extended the time till 6 pm on Monday.
IndiGo cancelled 251 flights on Monday alone. From Delhi airport, 134 flights were cancelled, 75 departures and 59 arrivals, while at Bengaluru airport, 117 flights were cancelled, 65 arrivals and 62 departures, sources confirmed.
The airline has been facing strong criticism from both the government and passengers after cancelling hundreds of flights since December 2, attributing the disruption to regulatory changes under the revised Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms. The cancellations have left lakhs of passengers stranded across airports nationwide.
For the first three days the airline, which is partially owned by Rahul Bhatia, failed to acknowledge the huge number of cancellations. It was only on Friday, after cancelling 1,600 flights in a single day, marking a record in Indian aviation history, that CEO Pieter Elbers issued a public video apology. While he admitted to large-scale cancellations, the message did not specify that 1,600 flights were being cancelled that day.
The new FDTL norms, applicable to all domestic airlines, were rolled out in two phases — on July 1 and November 1 this year. They mandate extended weekly rest periods of 48 hours, longer night duty definitions, and reduce permitted night landings to two instead of six. These rules were initially opposed by carriers including IndiGo and Air India, but DGCA enforced them following Delhi High Court directions, with procedural delays and phased implementation.
IndiGo has since secured temporary relaxation in Phase Two norms until February 10, citing the need for additional crew. The norms were originally planned for implementation from March 2024, but airlines sought staggered introduction to manage workforce requirements.
With PTI inputs