On Thursday morning, at least 175 IndiGo flights were canceled across India, intensifying the chaos at major airports. Strict government rules on crew safety have disrupted flight planning for the country’s largest airline.
Thousands of passengers have been stranded for three consecutive days. IndiGo, which commands over 60% of the domestic market, canceled at least 150 flights in major cities on Wednesday.
According to a spokesperson, 73 flights were canceled at Bengaluru airport on Thursday. Airport sources reported 395 cancellations in Delhi and 68 in Hyderabad. At Mumbai Airport, ANI noted, “Planned cancellations for 04.12.2025 — Arrivals: 41; Departures: 44; Total cancellations: 85.”
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Why is IndiGo canceling flights?
The airline has not commented to Reuters on Thursday but stated earlier that the cancellations result from factors like new flight duty time limits set by India’s aviation regulator to address pilot fatigue.
Out of 1,232 flights canceled by IndiGo in November, 755 were due to crew and Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) constraints, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The DGCA reported that 92 cancellations were due to Air Traffic Control System failures, 258 were due to airport or airspace restrictions, and 127 were from other causes, based on Indigo’s data submissions.
“Many cancellations were due to compliance with crew/FDTL and factors related to airport/airspace/ATC, which are often beyond the operator’s direct control,” they noted.
The regulator is investigating the current issues with the airline and working to minimize cancellations and delays.
What is FDTL?
The DGCA revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) in January last year. The updated norms require training for roster planners and quarterly fatigue reports from airlines, alongside stricter night flying rules. Pilots must now receive 48 hours of weekly rest, and the number of permitted night landings has been reduced from six to two.
The Federation of Indian Pilots highlighted that IndiGo struggled to adjust rosters and plan schedules before the November 1 implementation.
The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) questioned whether cancellations are part of a “calculated strategy,” criticizing the lack of proactive planning.
The statement read, “The situation with recent flight cancellations across India, reportedly due to pilot shortages from new FDTL norms, raises significant concerns about the airline’s management, DGCA oversight, and market fairness. The question is whether the pilot shortage stems from planning failures or a calculated strategy, likely a mix of both…
“This reflects a lack of proactive resource planning by major airlines, potentially exacerbated by efforts to pressure the regulator to relax FDTL norms for commercial interests. ALPA India urges the DGCA to consider pilot availability when granting slots and approving schedules, aligning with the Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) transition.”
The crisis is a significant setback for the airline, which built its reputation on punctuality, famously coining “IndiGo Standard Time” for closing plane doors well ahead of departure.
On Wednesday, the airline stated it is making “calibrated adjustments” to its schedules for the next two days.
[With inputs from Reuters, ANI]
