IndiGo cancels 1000 flights in Indian air travel chaos

[Rafale Nidhal Fan]

Crowds at Indian airports eased on Saturday but hundreds of passengers were still gathering outside Bengaluru and Mumbai airports as 385 IndiGo flights were canceled, in the fifth day of a crisis that has hit the country’s biggest airline.


Air travel across India has been in turmoil this week after IndiGo canceled thousands of flights, prompting the government to announce special relief for the carrier and operate some trains to help clear the backlog.


It is the biggest crisis ever for the 20-year-old airline, which long prided itself on on-time performance and lured passengers with low-cost fares.


IndiGo has admitted it failed to plan properly ahead of a November 1 deadline to implement stricter rules for pilots around night flying and weekly rest, which ultimately led to problems around roster planning this week.


On Friday, more than 1,000 IndiGo flights were canceled. The Delhi airport in a post on X said flight operations are steadily resuming, but some IndiGo flights continue to be affected.

Airport sources told Reuters 124 IndiGo flights in Bengaluru have been canceled on Saturday, 109 in Mumbai, 86 in New Delhi and 66 in Hyderabad.


India’s government has made special relaxations to the rules for the airline, and IndiGo has said it could return to normalcy between December 10-15.


Still, hundreds of passengers gathered outside Bengaluru and Mumbai airports on Saturday, with some clueless about their cancellations, according to Reuters photographers present at the scene.


Satish Konde had to catch a connecting flight to go to the city of Nagpur from Mumbai, and was checked in, but was told later it was canceled.


“I am waiting for my luggage to be returned,” he told Reuters at the airport.


Other major Indian airlines, including Air India and Akasa, have not had to cancel flights due to the new rules.

 

[globetrotter]

New DGCA rules n regulation for passe ger safety has to be follow by all airlines... but why only Indigo failed? No problems foe other airlines.

Indigo cited manpower problem due to rest clauses.... if DGCA rules received in advance why HR failed to manage manpower?

 

[BouncerGuy]

India orders IndiGo to slash flights as airline says operations 'normalised'

India's largest airline, IndiGo, says it has "normalised" operations after cancelling more than 3,000 flights last week due to what officials described as poor pilot roster planning, a crisis that left thousands of passengers stranded.

This came as authorities ordered IndiGo to cut 10% of its winter schedule - double the reduction first announced - a move that could see more than 200 daily flights cancelled.

Federal Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the ministry "considers it necessary to curtail the overall IndiGo routes" to help restore stability.

He added that despite the schedule cut, the airline "will continue to cover all its destinations as before".

The airline has also been ordered to submit its revised flight schedule to the regulator by Wednesday.

IndiGo operates over 2,200 flights daily and controls more than 60% of India's domestic market.

Aviation analysts told the BBC slashing 10% of IndiGo's daily capacity may worsen India's aviation crisis in the weeks to come, as other airlines like Air India or SpiceJet do not have spare capacity.

"The government's move may benefit passengers in the long term but for now they might have to pay more," Sanat Kaul, an analyst, told the BBC.

India's aviation ministry summoned IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers on Tuesday to explain how the airline was addressing the crisis and handling passenger complaints.

In a video note posted on X on Tuesday, Mr Elbers said that the airline has "fully stabilised" its operations.

IndiGo's shares have lost 15% since 1 December as investors fear rising costs from operational disruptions and higher crew expenses under the new rules.

Aviation analyst Mark Martin said he expects IndiGo to face "more penalties for its actions" in the days ahead.

The carrier has been instructed to cap fares, expedite refunds and quicken baggage handover to affected customers.

BBC

 

[Energy]

First world problems. Airports must now show Padman and Sarfira on loop at the big screens so passengers can pass time and be in awe of the technological advancements that puts others to shame.

 

[finalfantasy7]

Cmon indians - whats the current situation with this


Are the government willing to take on Indigo in court?

 

[rickroll]

Crowds at Indian airports eased on Saturday but hundreds of passengers were still gathering outside Bengaluru and Mumbai airports as 385 IndiGo flights were canceled, in the fifth day of a crisis that has hit the country’s biggest airline.


Air travel across India has been in turmoil this week after IndiGo canceled thousands of flights, prompting the government to announce special relief for the carrier and operate some trains to help clear the backlog.


It is the biggest crisis ever for the 20-year-old airline, which long prided itself on on-time performance and lured passengers with low-cost fares.


IndiGo has admitted it failed to plan properly ahead of a November 1 deadline to implement stricter rules for pilots around night flying and weekly rest, which ultimately led to problems around roster planning this week.


On Friday, more than 1,000 IndiGo flights were canceled. The Delhi airport in a post on X said flight operations are steadily resuming, but some IndiGo flights continue to be affected.

Airport sources told Reuters 124 IndiGo flights in Bengaluru have been canceled on Saturday, 109 in Mumbai, 86 in New Delhi and 66 in Hyderabad.


India’s government has made special relaxations to the rules for the airline, and IndiGo has said it could return to normalcy between December 10-15.


Still, hundreds of passengers gathered outside Bengaluru and Mumbai airports on Saturday, with some clueless about their cancellations, according to Reuters photographers present at the scene.


Satish Konde had to catch a connecting flight to go to the city of Nagpur from Mumbai, and was checked in, but was told later it was canceled.


“I am waiting for my luggage to be returned,” he told Reuters at the airport.


Other major Indian airlines, including Air India and Akasa, have not had to cancel flights due to the new rules.

Indian airline industry service and flight quality seems like a s**t show. It seems to be made worse by their corrupt govt giving monopoly to some preferred airline and now it is backfiring on them pretty bad.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Cmon indians - whats the current situation with this


Are the government willing to take on Indigo in court?

Govt has cut 10% of Indigo’s flights to let it bring its operations in order.

Things have improved. Fares came down.

 

[finalfantasy7]

Govt has cut 10% of Indigo’s flights to let it bring its operations in order.

Things have improved. Fares came down.

is that it, its came down, its still a mess aint it

 

[finalfantasy7]

4 Flight Inspectors Who Oversaw IndiGo Ops Sacked By Aviation Watchdog DGCA​

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/indigo-crisis-dgca-4-flight-ops-inspectors-who-oversee-indigo-suspended-by-regulator-sources-9796229

IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights this month after failing to plan for tighter safety regulations.​

New Delhi: India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has sacked four flight inspectors who oversaw safety and operational compliance of the crisis-hit IndiGo.

The action was taken due to negligence in inspection and monitoring of the airline.

IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights this month after failing to plan for tighter safety regulations, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded across the country. The cancellations peaked on December 5 and have declined since, with the airline saying on Tuesday that its operations have stabilised and are back to normal levels.

The DGCA has deployed two teams at the carrier's office in Gurugram to oversee various operations, including crew utilisation and refunds, sources said. The 'oversight teams' will submit a daily report to the regulator by 6 pm.

The first team is looking into aspects like the total fleet, pilot strength, crew utilisation (in hours), crew under training, split duties, unplanned leaves, standby crew, flights per day, and the total number of sectors affected on account of crew shortage. It will also keep an eye on the average stage length (distance flown in a single leg, from one takeoff to landing) and the airline's network to get a complete picture of the operations.


The second team is looking into problems caused by the crisis, including the refund status (both from the airline's end and websites/agents), compensation to passengers under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), on-time performance, returning lost baggage and the cancellation status of various flights.

IndiGo's Ops Curtailed​

IndiGo, the country's largest airline, has been told to cut down its operations by 10 per cent. With the airline operating around 2,200 flights a day, a 10 per cent reduction will involve the cancellation of more than 200 flights.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, while announcing the decision on Tuesday, said many passengers faced "severe inconvenience due to IndiGo's internal mismanagement of crew rosters, flight schedules and inadequate communication".

"The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall IndiGo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline's operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding by it, IndiGo will continue to cover all its destinations as before," he posted on X after meeting the airline's CEO, Pieter Elbers.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1998381042634563903

IndiGo's Rs 10,000 Travel Vouchers For "Severely Impacted" Customers​

IndiGo on Thursday said that the passengers "severely impacted" during the chaos at airports from December 3 to 5 will receive Rs 10,000 in compensation.

The airline, however, did not specify what "severely impacted" means and how it would identify the customers for the compensation payout.

"These travel vouchers can be used for any future IndiGo journey for the next 12 months," it added.

IndiGo said the compensation is additional to the compensation ranging from Rs 5,000-Rs 10,000 that it has committed as per the government's guidelines for customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure time.

"At IndiGo, we are committed to restoring the experience you expect from us-safe, smooth, and reliable. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you again," the statement read.

"IndiGo regrettably acknowledges that part of our customers travelling on 3/4/5 December 2025 were stranded for many hours at certain airports and number of them were severely impacted due to congestion. We will offer travel vouchers worth INR 10,000 to such severely impacted customers," the airline said in a statement on X