130 Flights Cancelled Across Airports Due To IndiGo's 'Operational Requirements'; Airline Issues Statement

India's largest airline, IndiGo, announced on Wednesday that it has experienced significant flight delays and cancellations in recent days. The airline attributed the disruption to a combination of technology issues, airport congestion, and "operational requirements."

Sources said that approximately 130 IndiGo flights have been cancelled across major Indian airports on Wednesday alone. Specifically, sources told Reuters that over 70 flights, including those from Bengaluru and Mumbai, were cancelled due to crew shortages. Scores of other IndiGo flights were delayed at various airports as the carrier struggled to secure crew for its operations. Separately, 38 cancellations were reported from Delhi airport, attributed to technical issues and operational requirements.

A total of 32 flights were cancelled in Mumbai, 40 in Bengaluru, and 20 in Hyderabad, as per sources.

The causes of the crew shortage were further clarified by sources and an IndiGo pilot, all requesting confidentiality, who said the problem was compounded by new pilot duty time limitations that took effect in recent months.

"Our teams are working diligently to ensure that operations normalise as soon as possible," an IndiGo spokesperson said in a statement. However, the spokesperson did not provide specific details regarding the reasons for the delays and cancellations.

IndiGo’s shares closed down about 2% following the statement, despite having gained nearly 23% so far this year.

The scale of the disruption is highlighted by the airline's recent performance. According to data from the civil aviation ministry, IndiGo's on-time performance (OTP) on Tuesday was just 35%, the lowest among all Indian airlines. This is a dramatic drop, as its OTP has typically been above 80% at major Indian airports this year.

These operational issues follow several recent incidents affecting the sector:

Last month, an air traffic control system outage at India's capital airport delayed hundreds of flights for multiple airlines.

Just last Saturday, IndiGo and other global carriers were required to fix a software glitch on 200 Airbus A320 planes.

On Wednesday, Delhi Airport posted on X that some domestic airlines were experiencing "operational challenges," which could lead to delays or schedule changes.

IndiGo, which operates over 2,200 flights daily and holds a domestic market share of more than 60%, has been steadily expanding internationally, challenging rival Air India's dominance. However, its recent financial results have faced pressure due to a strong U.S. dollar and a downturn in flyer sentiment following a deadly Air India crash in June.

Indigo Issues Statement

An Indigo Airlines spokesperson has issued a statement regarding the matter apologising for the inconvenience caused to passengers.

In the statement, Indigo wrote, "We acknowledge that IndiGo’s operations have been significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience caused."

Indigo attributed the inconvenience to "operational challenges".

"A multitude of unforeseen operational challenges including minor technology glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations) had a negative compounding impact on our operations in a way that was not feasible to be anticipated," the statement of the Indigo Airlines spokesperson read.

The airlines has assured of resolving the issue at the earliest to prioritize customer comfort.

"To contain the disruption and restore stability, we have initiated calibrated adjustments to our schedules. These measures will remain in place for the next 48 hours and will allow us to normalize our operations and progressively recover our punctuality across the network. Our teams are working around the clock to ease customer discomfort and ensure operations stabilize as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the affected customers are being offered alternate travel arrangements to reach their destinations or refunds, as applicable," the statement read.

"We request customers to check the latest flight status at https://www.goindigo.in/check-flight-status.html before heading to the airport. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused and remain fully committed to minimizing disruption and supporting our customers through this period," the statement added.

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