India’s largest airline, IndiGo, remained in disarray for a third straight day on Thursday, scrapping more than 300 domestic and international flights across major hubs such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, and leaving hundreds of travellers stranded. Widespread delays also rippled through airports nationwide as the carrier struggled with crew shortages and abrupt schedule resets, further straining operations for an airline long regarded for its punctuality. With its on-time performance crashing to just 19.7% a day earlier, IndiGo continued to battle severe disruption through the afternoon, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, IndiGo has informed the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) that it was forced to cancel 1,232 flights over the past few days, with a staggering 755 cancellations directly linked to crew shortages triggered by the stricter flight duty time limitations (FDTL) norms. In its submission to the regulator on Wednesday, the airline disclosed that 258 flights were also impacted due to airspace restrictions, while 92 services were disrupted by an air traffic control (ATC) system failure, pushing overall on-time performance (OTP) for November sharply down to 67.7%, compared with 84.1% in October.
DGCA says it has begun a full investigation into the cascading disruptions that have left thousands of passengers stranded across major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
IndiGo has been summoned to the DGCA headquarters to present a detailed explanation of the crisis along with its short-term recovery plan. The regulator has also issued clarifications to help the airline 'streamline implementation' of the updated FDTL rules which airline sources say have significantly tightened crew rostering flexibility since 1 November 2025.
IndiGo, in its response to the regulator, says that cancellations stemmed largely from FDTL compliance, airspace congestion, ATC issues and other operational factors 'beyond the operator’s direct control'.
In a regulatory filing, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, the owner of IndiGo says, “"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 (FDTL) had a negative compounding impact on our operations in a way that was not feasible to be anticipated."
"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 normalise our operations and progressively recover our punctuality across the network. Our teams are working around the clock to ease customer discomfort and ensure operations stabilise as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the affected customers are being offered alternate travel arrangements to reach their destinations or refunds, as applicable," it added.
The carrier added that it has begun 'strengthening crew planning and rostering', improving coordination with ATC and airports and refining disruption-management processes to stabilise operations. Customers have been advised to check live flight status before leaving for the airport.
The nationwide disruption worsened sharply on Wednesday, when IndiGo cancelled more than 100 flights across major metropolitan areas, triggering long queues, confusion, and widespread anger among affected passengers.
The airline issued an apology, acknowledging that operations had been 'significantly disrupted' for two consecutive days. It attributed the meltdown to a 'multitude of unforeseen challenges', including minor technology failures, winter schedule changes, bad weather, system congestion and the recent implementation of revised FDTL rules that restrict night operations and increase weekly rest requirements.
Even as the national network struggled, Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport emerged as one of the worst-affected hubs. Forty flights were cancelled on Wednesday alone, including 19 departures and 21 arrivals, with airport authorities confirming that 54 flights were scrapped over two days. Arrivals from major cities including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Goa, Madurai and Bhubaneswar were cancelled, while departures to Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhopal, Hubbali, Visakhapatnam and other destinations also took a hit. Passengers connecting to international flights were among the hardest hit, with many missing onward journeys.
The disruption also affected Ayappa devotees travelling from Hyderabad to Kochi for their Sabarimala pilgrimage, with stranded passengers reporting poor communication from airline staff. One devotee says they received 'no response' regarding refunds, adding that their travel plans had collapsed due to the unexplained delays.
On social media, frustrated passengers took to X to highlight their ordeal. Pratik Jaiswal described his Delhi-Srinagar-Kolkata journey as a 'nightmare', citing multiple delays and chaotic baggage handling on arrival.
IndiGo responded with standard apologies, saying some delays stemmed from factors ‘beyond its control’.
While weather, tech issues and congestion have played a part, IndiGo’s heavy reliance on night operations, combined with the new FDTL norms, has severely strained crew availability. With more than 2,100 flights a day, any disruption quickly snowballs across the network.
The DGCA says it is evaluating measures with the airline to reduce passenger inconvenience and restore schedule integrity. IndiGo’s 755 FDTL-related cancellations are now the clearest indication of how the revised crew duty norms are reshaping airline operations. The regulator has asked the airline to outline its mitigation steps and future compliance plan to prevent a repeat of this week’s crisis.
For now, with further calibrated cancellations expected, passengers across India have been advised to check flight status closely and prepare for continued disruptions as IndiGo attempts to normalise operations.
It’s fair to ask what Indigo was doing for more than a year? In fact they blatantly and shamelessly announced a winter schedule INCREASING flights by 10% without any attempts to get their crewing in place. Very obviously they were sure they could lobby for a further extension. Lo and behold, the DGC has given them an extension till Feb 10. Rewarding the defaulter - not even a hint of any regulatory penalty, fine, or reprimand. Totally anti-consumer.
And how come other airlines could plan but not Indigo?