DGCA probes IndiGo flight disruption; asks airline to submit reasons, mitigation plans | India News
India’s aviation regulator DGCA has launched a formal investigation into widespread cancellations and delays by IndiGo. On Wednesday alone, at least 150 flights were cancelled across major airports, while many more faced significant delays. DGCA has demanded that the airline submit a full account of what went wrong and outline a mitigation plan to prevent future chaos. The disruptions come amid crew-shortage issues, tougher crew duty norms under new flight-time rules, and a combination of technical glitches, weather, and winter schedule complications. In response, IndiGo has begun “calibrated adjustments” to its schedule for the next 48 hours in an effort to normalise operations and ease passenger inconvenience.
The Key points
- DGCA has asked IndiGo to detail reasons for recent flight cancellations and delays, and to present a mitigation strategy.
- Over 150 flights were cancelled nationwide on one day, with many more delayed, disrupting air travel across India.
- November cancellation data show IndiGo cancelled 1,232 flights — 755 attributed to crew and new duty-time (FDTL) compliance.
- IndiGo cited crew shortage, technical issues, adverse weather, winter scheduling, and airspace congestion as causes of disruption.
- The airline has initiated schedule adjustments lasting 48 hours to stabilise operations.
- Crew-rest and duty limitations under newly enforced FDTL norms have strained IndiGo’s staffing capacity.
- The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) argues that cancellations stem from the airline’s “lean manpower strategy” rather than just regulatory changes.
- FIP claims that despite knowing of increased winter demand and stricter norms, IndiGo didn’t augment its pilot strength or adjust rostering adequately.
- Other airlines reportedly managed to comply with FDTL without widespread disruptions, raising questions about IndiGo’s operational planning.
- FIP urges DGCA to evaluate seasonal schedule approvals — only granting slots to airlines that demonstrate sufficient crew resources under new norms.
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