IndiGo Cancels 38 Flights From Delhi Amid Crew Shortages and Operational Glitches

At least 38 IndiGo flights from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) were cancelled between Tuesday midnight and Wednesday evening, as technical and operational issues disrupted the airline’s network.

Across India, over 70 flights of IndiGo faced cancellations, including 42 from Bengaluru due to crew shortages and 32 from Mumbai, according to earlier reports. Thousands of passengers were affected, with delays attributed to a combination of crew constraints, technical glitches, airport congestion, and operational challenges.

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) confirmed: “38 IndiGo flights, domestic and international, have been cancelled from 00:00 hrs till now.”

Officials said the crew shortage follows the implementation of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) from November 1, which caps pilots’ and crew members’ working hours to prevent fatigue and ensure safety. On Tuesday, the civil aviation ministry reported IndiGo’s On-Time Performance (OTP) dropped to 35% at metro airports.

An IndiGo spokesperson said:

“We acknowledge that IndiGo’s operations have been significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days. Unforeseen operational challenges including technology glitches, schedule changes due to the winter season, adverse weather, congestion, and updated crew rostering rules impacted operations. We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

The airline added that schedule adjustments are being implemented over the next 48 hours to stabilize operations. Passengers are being offered alternate travel arrangements or refunds, and are advised to check the latest flight status here before heading to airports.

Flight Cancellation Overview:

• Delhi: 38 flights (domestic & international)

• Bengaluru: 42 flights

• Mumbai: 32 flights

• Hyderabad: 14 flights on Tuesday, 19 on Wednesday

Other carriers, including Air India, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet, also faced delays after a global outage of the Amadeus check-in system on Tuesday night. Air India later confirmed that the system was fully restored and operations had returned to normal.