Indigo's operational crisis continued for the third consecutive day on Thursday, leading to the cancellation of over 150 flights nationwide. Passengers at major airports faced significant disruption due to new DGCA regulations, crew shortages, and network scheduling issues.
Indigo flight cancel: India's largest airline, IndiGo, is currently grappling with a severe operational crisis. Following two days of continuous large-scale flight cancellations, the situation remained abnormal on Thursday. The cancellation of over 150 flights caused widespread disruption for passengers at several major airports across India. New DGCA regulations, crew shortages, and scheduling glitches have further complicated the situation. The airline has implemented calibrated schedule adjustments to stabilize operations over the next 48 hours, aiming for a gradual return to normal flight arrangements.
Major Airports Most Affected
The most profound impact of this major disruption to IndiGo's flights was observed at the country's busiest airports. Bengaluru Airport confirmed that 73 IndiGo flights alone had to be cancelled on December 4th. Over 50 flights were cancelled at Delhi Airport, and approximately 85 in Mumbai. A total of 64 flights to and from Hyderabad Airport were also affected. These figures indicate that the problem is not confined to limited routes or regions but has spread across the entire network.
This situation directly impacted passengers, who had to wait for hours at booking counters, boarding gates, and helpdesks. Many travelers also struggled to find alternative flights, as the sudden disruption increased pressure on other airlines.
Reasons for IndiGo Network Disruption
Although IndiGo has officially cited technical issues, bad weather, and airport congestion as reasons, sources suggest the real challenge lies with the DGCA's new pilot rest and duty regulations.
Restrictions on pilots' nighttime flights have been increased, and weekly rest periods have also been extended. This necessitates significant adjustments within the airline's scheduling system. It is believed that a pre-existing crew shortage combined with the new regulations has exacerbated this disruption.
Impact on the Stock Market
Shares of InterGlobe Aviation, IndiGo's parent company, were not immune to this crisis. During morning trading on Thursday, the company's shares fell by 3.4% to ₹5,405. Investors believe that if this disruption continues for an extended period, it could impact the company's financial stability.
The aviation sector operates particularly on punctuality and trust. A large number of flight cancellations by any airline also affects its brand trust. For this reason, IndiGo is emphasizing stabilizing the situation quickly.
Impact of New DGCA Regulations
The new regulations, effective from November 2025, are based on pilot safety and fatigue management. While their objective is to enhance safety, they have had a significant impact on scheduling and crew management. Key points of the new rules are as follows.
• Previously, pilots received 36 consecutive hours of rest per week, which has now been extended to 48 hours.
• Airline companies are required to submit a report to the DGCA every three months, indicating whether pilots have reported fatigue.
• Airlines must also detail the measures they have taken to mitigate fatigue.
• The previous limit for night duty was considered until midnight; this has now been extended from 12 AM to 6 AM.
• Night duty allows a maximum flight time of 8 hours, a duty period of 10 hours, and only two consecutive night duties are permissible.
• A maximum of two landings are permitted during nighttime operations.
These very regulations are causing the airline to take time in preparing new schedules and rotations for pilots, leading to the disruption of numerous flights.
Passenger Troubles Increased
The cancellation of IndiGo flights led to various difficulties for passengers. In several cities, travelers took to social media to share complaints about long waits, inadequate support systems, and sudden cancellations. Many passengers' international connecting flights were affected, disrupting their onward travel plans.
Although the airline has kept its helpline and online support active for refunds, rebooking, and travel assistance, delays in response were observed due to the large volume of flight cancellations.
List of Major Flights Cancelled Today
- Hyderabad–Pune: 6E 351
- Hyderabad–Delhi: 6E 6010
- Hyderabad–Guwahati: 6E 972
- Hyderabad–Visakhapatnam: 6E 618
- Hyderabad–Ahmedabad: 6E 6927
- Hyderabad–Kolkata: 6E 6494
- Hyderabad–Jodhpur: 6E 6471
- Hyderabad–Lucknow: 6E 608
- Hyderabad–Amritsar: 6E 495
- Hyderabad–Bengaluru: 6E 413
- Hyderabad–Kochi: 6E 752
- Hyderabad–Bengaluru: 6E 6361
- Hyderabad–Vadodara: 6E 2178
- Hyderabad–Bengaluru: 6E 180
- Hyderabad–Delhi: 6E 849
- Hyderabad–Ahmedabad: 6E 6727
- Hyderabad–Kolkata: 6E 944
- Hyderabad–Patna: 6E 6334
- Delhi–Ahmedabad: 6E 2308
- Delhi–Pune: 6E 2471
- Delhi–Nagpur: 6E 6820
- Delhi–Varanasi: 6E 6741
- Delhi–Kochi: 6E 5273
- Delhi–Patna: 6E 6643
- Delhi–Chennai: 6E 2386
- Delhi–Kolkata: 6E 5014
- Delhi–Bengaluru: 6E 6833
When Will Operations Normalize?
IndiGo has stated that operations are expected to gradually normalize over the next 48 hours following scheduling adjustments. However, airline experts believe that due to crew shortages and new regulatory changes, it might take a few more days for the situation to fully stabilize.
