Mumbai | IndiGo has cancelled over 70 flights, including those from Bengaluru and Mumbai airports, on Wednesday, mainly due to crew shortages, sources said.
Scores of IndiGo flights were delayed at various airports, as the carrier struggled to get the crew for operating its flights, sources said.
IndiGo said there have been cancellations and delays.
"We have had several unavoidable flight delays and some cancellations in the past few days due to various reasons including technology issues, airport congestion, and operational requirements," the airline spokesperson said in a statement.
"IndiGo has been facing acute crew shortage since the implementation of the second phase of the FDTL norms, leading to cancellations and huge delays in its operations across the airports,” a source told PTI.
"The situation turned bad on Tuesday for the airline and the shortage turned worse on Wednesday with scores of flights cancelled and delayed from across airports in the country," the source said.
IndiGo on-time performance from six key domestic airports plummeted to 35 per cent on Tuesday whereas Air India clocked 67.2 per cent, Air India Express 79.5 per cent, SpiceJet 82.50 per cent and Akasa Air 73.20 per cent, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry website.
The latest flight duty time limitation norms, which entail increased weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extension of night hours, and limiting the number of night landings to only two as against six earlier were initially opposed by the domestic airlines, including IndiGo and Tata Group-owned Air India.
But they were subsequently rolled out by the DGCA following the Delhi High Court's directives, albeit after a delay of over one year and in a phased manner and with certain variations to airlines like IndiGo and Air India.
While the first phase of these FDTL norms came into force from July, the second phase, which restricted the night landing to two from six earlier, was implemented from November 1.
The norms were originally to be put in place from March 2024 but airlines including IndiGo sought a step-by-step implementation, citing additional crew requirements.
The Gurugram-based airline currently operates around 2,100 domestic and international flights and a significant chunk of them into night.
As on December 2, IndiGo had a total of 416 planes in the fleet with 366 of them in operations and 50 on ground, up from 47 last month, as per aircraft fleet tracking website Planespotter.com.
13 Indigo flights cancelled from Hyderabad, flyers frustrated
A chaotic situation unfolded at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here after Indigo airlines cancelled 13 flights to various destinations, including Delhi and Bangalore from here, airport sources said.
The airport, however, maintained that some IndiGo flights have been impacted due to airline-related technology and operational issues, resulting in delays and cancellations.
Similarly, the airline also cancelled 18 incoming flights from various destinations, the sources said.
Nine flights were cancelled on Tuesday alone.
“Deeply unfortunate to see #Ayyappadevotees forced to protest at Hyderabad Airport after @IndiGo6E failed to address hours-long delays. Passengers deserve clarity, and responsible service. Hope the authorities take immediate action,” a netizen said in a post on X tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Ram Mohan Naidu.
Social media was flooded with videos showing frustrated passengers arguing with airline staff over the cancellations.
Scores of IndiGo flights were delayed at various airports, as the carrier struggled to secure enough crew for operating its flights.
Acknowledging the situation, an airline spokesperson said, "We have had several unavoidable flight delays and some cancellations in the past few days due to various reasons including technology issues, airport congestion, and operational requirements." The RGAI in a post on X said some IndiGo flights at the airport have been impacted due to airline-related technology and operational issues, resulting in delays and cancellations.
Requesting the passengers to contact IndiGo's customer service team directly for the latest updates on flight status, the airport, however, maintained that operations at RGIA remain normal.
