IndiGo Crisis Deepens: Over 200 Flights Cancelled Today as Govt Moves to Cut Winter Schedule

India’s largest airline, IndiGo, continued to face massive operational disruptions on Tuesday, with over 200 flights cancelled across major metro cities. The widespread cancellations—121 in Bengaluru, 58 in Hyderabad, 41 in Chennai and 4 in Kerala—come at a time when the Centre has decided to scale back the airline’s winter schedule and reallocate some flights to other carriers.

IndiGo, which controls nearly 60% of the domestic aviation market, currently operates around 2,200 flights daily under the winter schedule. However, officials indicated that at least 100 flights per day may be withdrawn from the airline’s allocation in the coming days.

Over 4,500 Flights Cancelled Since Last Week

The turmoil began last Tuesday and has snowballed into one of the biggest flight disruption episodes in the country. So far, more than 4,500 flights have been cancelled nationwide. Despite IndiGo’s assurance that operations were stabilising, over 500 fresh cancellations were reported on Monday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports.

What Triggered the Chaos?

According to industry sources, the disruption stems from IndiGo’s inability to implement the second phase of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that came into force in November.
The updated norms—designed to reduce pilot fatigue—require more rest hours and stricter night-duty regulations.

However, the airline has reportedly been grappling with a shortage of pilots, leading to a significant mismatch between crew availability and scheduled operations.

DGCA Steps In, Relaxes Norms Temporarily

To offer immediate relief and ensure minimal impact on passengers, the aviation regulator DGCA has temporarily relaxed certain FDTL norms, including:

• Night-duty requirements

• Rules on duties extending into late hours

• Mandatory weekly rest provisions

The relaxation is aimed at easing pressure on pilot rosters until IndiGo stabilises its operations.

‘IndiGo Did Not Flag Issues in Advance’: Government

In the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu criticised IndiGo for failing to communicate potential issues during a crucial meeting held on December 1—just a day before the mass cancellations began.

“IndiGo did not flag any problems. Their internal system is responsible for this situation,” Naidu said, defending the updated FDTL norms.

Govt to Cut IndiGo’s Winter Schedule

The minister also confirmed that the Centre will reduce IndiGo’s winter flight allocation.

“We will curtail IndiGo’s routes. They are currently operating 2,200 flights. We will definitely curtail them,”
— Ram Mohan Naidu to Doordarshan

The revised schedule is expected soon, with the withdrawn slots likely to be redistributed among other airlines to minimise nationwide disruption.