IndiGo has been cancelling large numbers of flights in India mainly because of a severe crew shortage triggered by new pilot rest and duty-time rules, combined with poor internal planning and the busy winter schedule.

Main reasons

• India’s aviation regulator introduced stricter Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms that limit how long pilots can fly, especially at night, which sharply reduced IndiGo’s available pilot hours and forced many into mandatory rest.

• IndiGo expanded its winter schedule and runs a very dense, late-night-heavy network, but under-estimated the impact of these rules and did not have enough spare pilots, so even minor delays or technical issues cascaded into mass cancellations.

Other contributing factors

• The airline and airports also cited bad winter weather, congestion at major hubs like Delhi and Mumbai, and some technical glitches on aircraft as additional reasons for disruption.

• Pilot unions and some analysts say IndiGo’s long-running lean staffing strategy, hiring freezes, and tight rosters made it more vulnerable than other airlines to the new safety rules.

What IndiGo says it is doing

• IndiGo has apologised publicly, is waiving some change and cancellation fees for affected dates, and has requested temporary relaxations from regulators while it cuts back its schedule to match available crew.

• The airline and regulators expect operations to stabilise gradually through mid-December, with fuller normalisation only after more pilots and schedules are adjusted to the new rules.