IndiGo has addressed a show-cause notice from India’s aviation regulator following extensive flight cancellations that disrupted airports and passengers for nearly a week.
In a statement shared with Indian media, IndiGo blamed the chaos on “the compounding effect of multiple factors” and apologized for the inconvenience to customers.
The airline requested additional time to complete a thorough ‘Root Cause Analysis’ as per the Director General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) guidelines, which allow a 15-day response. Meanwhile, IndiGo identified several initial factors contributing to the disruptions:
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Minor technical issues.
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Schedule adjustments due to the winter season.
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Adverse weather conditions.
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Increased congestion in the aviation system.
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New crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitation Phase II).
IndiGo mentioned they had previously discussed FDTL challenges with DGCA. In early December, these factors led to “lower On-Time Network Performance” affecting crew availability, they noted.
On December 5, IndiGo experienced its highest number of cancellations, with 1,000 flights grounded—half of its fleet—due to a “network reboot” aimed at realigning crew and planes to resolve the crisis.
As of December 8, IndiGo has refunded Rs8,270 million, with more refunds in progress. Over 4,500 bags have been returned to passengers, with the rest expected within 36 hours, the airline confirmed.
