Dozens of IndiGo flights were canceled or delayed in several Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad on Wednesday, leaving passengers stranded at airports across the country.
Flight delays and cancellations have affected customers since Tuesday itself, with reports of disruptions from distraught flyers circulating on social media.
This was reflected in Civil Aviation Ministry data, with the budget carrier’s performance falling to a dismal 35% on Tuesday.
In comparison, other Indian carriers averaged 75.6%, with Air India the lowest at 67.2% and SpiceJet the highest at 82.5%.
How many IndiGo flights have been cancelled?
While IndiGo has not released the number yet, reports point to the cancellation of more than 130 flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
News agency PTI reported that 42 flights were canceled from Bengaluru and 19 from Hyderabad, while ANI reported 38 cancellations at Delhi airport.
As for Mumbai, the Times of India reported that 33 flights had been canceled since Wednesday evening, bringing the total to more than 130 since Tuesday.
IndiGo flyers on social media have also reported extensive delays, though it is difficult to put the same number.
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What did IndiGo say?
As the outages peaked on Tuesday and Wednesday, IndiGo stopped responding to fliers’ concerns on social media and began responding to only X from Wednesday evening.
Around the time social media activity resumed, the airline also issued a statement apologizing to customers and explaining the reasons for the interruption.
The airline said: “Many unforeseen operational issues including minor technological glitches … have negatively impacted our operations in ways that could not have been predicted.”
He listed these unforeseen operational challenges as:
- changes to timetables related to the winter season
- adverse weather conditions
- increased congestion in the aviation system
- introduction of updated crew rostering rules (limitation of flight duty time)
“To avoid 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 normalize our operations and gradually restore our accuracy across the network,” IndiGo added.
While some of the reasons are self-explanatory, increased congestion in the system tends to occur during the winter season as it coincides with the holidays and therefore increases in ridership.
On FDTL, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) introduced new rules on November 1 that mandate increased weekly rest for pilots, tighter night duty limits and tighter caps on cumulative flying, among other things.
Meanwhile, the DGCA said a total of 1,232 IndiGo flights were canceled in November, including 755 flights due to crew restrictions and FDTL.
The Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA) also commented on the widespread disruption, saying, “The situation regarding recent flight cancellations across India allegedly attributed to pilot shortage due to the new FDTL norms raises significant questions about airline governance, regulatory oversight by DGCA and market fairness.
What measures are being taken for affected customers?
Affected customers, IndiGo said, have been offered alternative travel arrangements to help them reach their destinations or refunds where applicable.
The carrier also advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.
IndiGo flight status can be checked at: https://www.goindigo.in/check-flight-status.html
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A harrowing time for stranded flyers
Social media platforms were flooded with comments from angry or irritated flyers on Tuesday and Wednesday, with many also calling out the carrier for its lack of response.
The pilots also disclosed the problems they faced due to the delays.
“No updates. No help. No refreshments, despite DGCA rules clearly stating that airlines must provide them after a 2 hour delay. This is unacceptable. Please resolve this urgently and inform passengers of the revised departure time,” wrote one user.
“I am traveling with an 8 month old. Flight is partially delayed to 4:40 from the original 7:10pm departure. With no one to lead, no facilities to expect from an infant. Waking up all night? Totally inhumane. Please accommodate (sic),” wrote another, hours before the airline was slammed.
“No reply back..hope you don’t wait for departure and then call back @DGCAIndia Total chaos at Delhi airport..Hope you let the airline run smoothly so passengers suffer. (sic),” the user wrote. IndiGo responded 21 hours after the user first posted.
Social media was also awash with videos showing chaos at airports as frustrated fliers struggled to make sense of the situation.
Visuals from Delhi:
Visuals from Mumbai:
What does DGCA do?
Meanwhile, aviation watchdog DGCA said it is investigating the disruption of IndiGo flights and asked the airline to explain the reasons behind the current situation.
The regulator further asked the budget carrier to share its plans to reduce disruptions and flight delays.
