Flight operations at IndiGo, India’s largest airline, continued to remain disrupted on Monday, marking the seventh consecutive day of an unprecedented air travel crisis in the country. Delhi Airport issued a fresh advisory urging passengers to check the status of their IndiGo flights, cautioning that delays and cancellations were still likely.
On Sunday alone, IndiGo was forced to cancel more than 650 flights nationwide, a slight improvement from the over 1,000 cancellations recorded two days earlier. According to official sources, the airline has already processed ticket refunds amounting to more than Rs 610 crore for passengers affected by the disruptions.
IndiGo has attributed the crisis primarily to an acute shortage of cockpit crew, which arose after the full implementation of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) came into complete effect. The sudden rostering changes required to comply with the new pilot-rest regulations triggered widespread flight cancellations, leading to chaos at major airports across India. Following the escalation, the government intervened and stayed the revised rules, giving the airline breathing space. IndiGo now expects to restore normal operations by December 10.
In a related development on Sunday, the DGCA granted a 24-hour extension to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and the airline’s Accountable Manager, Isidro Porqueras, for responding to show-cause notices issued over the large-scale disruptions. The new deadline for submission of their replies is 6 pm on Monday.
Also Read: IndiGo refunded ₹610 cr so far; delivered 3,000 baggages
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has initiated several corrective measures, including imposing temporary caps on airfares on affected routes and directing IndiGo to accelerate the refund process for cancelled flights. A high-level probe has also been ordered into the episode. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has maintained that primary responsibility for the crisis rests with the airline, pointing out that the revised pilot-duty directions had been notified more than a year ago.
IndiGo, meanwhile, stated that it is conducting an internal examination to identify the exact root causes of the operational breakdown, asserting that the situation resulted from a combination of multiple factors.
As of Saturday, the ministry confirmed that IndiGo had processed Rs 610 crore in refunds and successfully delivered around 3,000 pieces of delayed baggage to passengers nationwide. The government had previously set a firm deadline for the airline to complete refunds for all affected travellers.
Also Read: IndiGo restores 95% connectivity, plans to operate 1,500 flights
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