IndiGo Disruption: Airline Halts More Than 400 Flights on December 6

IndiGo’s persistent operational challenges continued on December 7, resulting in over 400 flight cancellations nationwide. This situation 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 luggage is returned to passengers within 48 hours.

The cancellations impacted key hubs such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad, among others, prolonging the disruption into its fifth consecutive day. Bengaluru experienced the most severe impact, with 124 flights cancelled, followed by 109 in Mumbai, 106 in Delhi, and 66 in Hyderabad, according to airport officials.

This crisis follows a significant wave of over 1,000 cancellations on December 5, marking one of the most severe operational failures in Indian aviation history. IndiGo attributed these disruptions to difficulties in adhering to the second phase of new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) regulations for cockpit crew, leading to widespread crew shortages.
Also read | IndiGo directed to finalize refunds and return passenger baggage by Dec 7 evening
After several days of silence, IndiGo chief Pieter Elbers released a video statement on Friday, apologizing for the turmoil and noting that the airline anticipated “fewer than 1,000 flights on Saturday,” while admitting that achieving stabilization would take time.

Regulatory authorities, however, have connected the crisis to insufficient crew planning by the airline. On Friday, the DGCA granted temporary relaxations to facilitate the restoration of operations, which included retracting the extended night-duty definition and allowing more night landings.

The pilots’ union, ALPA India, criticized this decision sharply, labelling the selective relief as “unsafe” and warning that it “destroyed regulatory parity” while putting “millions of passengers at heightened risk.” The union accused the Ministry of contradicting court-mandated fatigue-mitigation guidelines by pausing FDTL implementation, asserting that delaying rest time protections jeopardized both crew and passengers.

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

IndiGo was one of the first airlines to oppose the revised regulations when they were introduced in 2024, citing the necessity for additional time to increase crew strength. The rules — which enhance weekly rest to 48 hours, extend night-duty periods, and reduce allowed night landings — were eventually rolled out in phases following a directive from the Delhi High Court.

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