IndiGo is experiencing flight delays and cancellations across the country today, December 4.
A video from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) shows flight information boards reflecting the disruption, according to PTI.
A Bengaluru airport spokesman said on Thursday that 73 IndiGo flights had been canceled today, a Reuters report noted, with airport sources saying at least 150 flights were canceled and many more delayed on Wednesday, stranding thousands of passengers.
In Hyderabad, sources at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport said as many as 33 outbound IndiGo flights are expected to be canceled from the airport on Thursday. Similarly, 35 inbound flights are also likely to be canceled during the day.
What did IndiGo say?
The airline, which operates about 2,300 domestic and international flights a day, said on Wednesday that “a number of unforeseen operational issues” had severely disrupted its network over the past two days and apologized to passengers for the inconvenience.
An airline spokesperson explained in a statement that challenges include “minor technology glitches, winter schedule changes, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion on the flight system and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules (flight duty time restrictions) have negatively impacted our operations in ways that could not have been anticipated.”
The airline said it had begun calibrated adjustments to its flight 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. Our teams are working around the clock to ease customer inconvenience and ensure traffic is stabilized as quickly as possible,” he said yesterday.
ALPA reacts
The Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA) said IndiGo’s operational disruptions due to crew shortages point to a failure in proactive resource planning by major airlines. The association also suggested that there could be an attempt to pressure the regulator, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), release new rules for limiting flight service time.
As of December 2, IndiGo had a total fleet of 416 aircraft, of which 366 were in service and 50 were grounded, up from 47 in the previous month, according to website Planespotter.com.
According to Reuters, citing government data, IndiGo’s performance was only 35% on Tuesday, the lowest of any Indian airline. The airline has typically maintained above 80% performance at major airports in India this year.
(With input from agencies)
