After the airline canceled 1,000 flights on Friday, the Delhi airport issued an advisory saying that IndiGo’s flight operations are now “still recovering and returning to normal”. He also advised passengers to check their flight status before departing from home.
“We are happy to update that Indigo flight operations are now steadily recovering and returning to normal after a brief disruption. Please check your booking and flight status before leaving home,” Delhi Airport said.
IndiGo has canceled all domestic flights departing from Delhi airport till midnight on Friday, acknowledging that it is the most impacted day.
IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers apologizes
Elbers categorically stated that things are likely to return to normal between December 10 and 15.
“The most affected day was December 5th, with cancellations well over 1,000. We offer our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this has caused our customers. It will take some time to return to a fully normal situation, which we anticipate between December 10th and 15th,” Elbers said in a video message.
What did Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu say?
Civil Aviation Minister Naidu blamed the airline’s mismanagement of crew and its handling of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules for widespread delays and congestion at major airports across India.
Speaking to ANI, the minister explained that the disruption prompted the Civil Aviation Ministry to grant IndiGo a temporary relief from FDTL requirements to help restore normal operations and help stranded passengers.
“From November 1, DGCA has come up with the new FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitation) regulations. The ministry has also started a continuous engagement process with airlines for at least 6 months. Before that there was no issue regarding the new FDTL norm. Other airlines, including Air India and Spice Jet, have adapted. But what has developed is due to IndiGo’s mismanagement of the norm, which IndiGo had provided to FDGo regarding certain crew non-compliance.” normality,” Naidu said.
IndiGo’s dominant market share of nearly 63% has raised fears of a monopoly. The recent cancellation stranded thousands of passengers and sparked outrage in parliament. The Center has directed airlines to put in place measures to resolve the disruption and provide compensation to passengers.
The DGCA attributes the disruption to “misjudgment and planning gaps” by IndiGo in implementing the new pilot hours regulations.
Under this one-time exemption valid until 10 February 2026, IndiGo can ignore certain DGCA regulations on night service, namely those relating to flight and rest time between 0000 and 0650 hours. The DGCA also scrapped the rule barring airlines from counting a pilot’s leave as weekly rest.
The purpose of the exemption is to help stabilize IndiGo’s operations during pilot shortages and minimize inconvenience to passengers. But the Air Force Pilots Association (ALPA) condemned the move, saying it sets a risky precedent and weakens long-standing safety standards.
