Following a weekend of major flight disruptions that caused passengers to face delays of over 10 hours, Indigo’s operations between the UAE and India are gradually stabilizing. On Sunday, many flights took off and landed on schedule, though some experienced delays of 15 to 90 minutes. However, a few were delayed by nearly 10 hours.
Early Sunday, the Indigo flight from Ras Al Khaimah to Hyderabad departed at its planned time of 2:30 am, alongside the Sharjah–Lucknow service at 2:00 am. The Dubai-Chennai flight was also set to operate as scheduled.
In contrast, the Dubai-Mumbai flight was delayed by 15 minutes, and the Delhi-Dubai flight (6E 1463) left 17 minutes behind schedule. The Dubai-Kozhikode flight, however, took off at 12:44 pm, nearly ten hours late from its scheduled 3:20 am departure.
Stay informed with the latest updates. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Across India, flight disruptions persisted. On the sixth day of these disruptions, India’s largest airline canceled 500 domestic flights, fewer than the 700 on Saturday and 1,000 on Friday. The airline announced it was on track to operate over 1,650 flights, an increase from 1,500 on Saturday. On-time performance improved to 75% on Sunday, up from 30%, and the company has promised full waivers on cancellations and rescheduling requests for bookings until December 15.
Weekend Chaos
The crisis began on Tuesday when Indigo was significantly affected by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) implementing new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). These rules require pilots to have 48 hours of rest per week and limit them to two night landings weekly, down from six. Introduced for 2024 to allow airlines time to hire more staff, these regulations followed increasing complaints of pilot fatigue.
On Friday, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation temporarily suspended the new FDTL directives, asserting that safety would not be compromised. Additional measures were also enforced, such as capping airfares after a spike in ticket prices during the disruptions.
Rising Anger
Public frustration has been mounting after thousands of people were stranded due to cancellations. As per Indian media, some missed significant events like weddings and funerals, while others lost job opportunities. One Indian entrepreneur expressed her anger on LinkedIn about her relatives and siblings missing her father’s funeral.
In response, India’s civil aviation minister announced that a committee has been formed to investigate the disruptions and hold those responsible accountable. Additionally, a parliamentary panel will question the airline’s top management about these issues.
