By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
Indian air travel was thrown into disarray for a fourth straight day on Friday as IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, cancelled more than 1,000 flights nationwide, including all departures from New Delhi. The turmoil, reported Reuters, has left thousands of passengers stranded and triggered emergency measures from the Indian government.
The disruption follows the rollout of stricter pilot duty and rest regulations aimed at improving aviation safety. The rules limit pilot flying hours, increase mandatory weekly rest to 48 hours, and reduce the number of allowed night-time landings from six to two per week.
IndiGo, however, acknowledged it had not prepared adequately ahead of the rules taking effect on 1 November. With December marking one of India’s busiest travel months, the airline was unable to adjust staffing and scheduling in time, resulting in widespread cancellations across its network.
There were cancellations reported at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers issued a public apology, admitting that the crisis had shaken passengers’ confidence in the airline. He said operations would take time to stabilise, with a gradual return to normal expected between 10 and 15 December.
Responding to IndiGo’s request for relief, India’s civil aviation authorities granted temporary exemptions from certain provisions of the new rules to help restore services. The cap on night-time landings has been suspended for IndiGo until 10 February, along with some restrictions on night-duty periods. However, authorities refused to relax the increased weekly rest requirement for pilots.
While IndiGo initially indicated that full recovery might not be possible until February, it said on Friday that travellers should see progressive improvements starting Saturday. Other major airlines, including Air India and Akasa, have not faced similar disruptions, highlighting the disproportionate impact on IndiGo.
At airports across the country, tensions flared as stranded passengers confronted airline staff. Social media platforms were flooded with videos of frustrated travellers. In Bengaluru, a group was seen chanting “Down with IndiGo!”, while a clip from Delhi airport showed young children waiting since 4 am, described as hungry and exhausted.
The airline said it will offer waivers on cancellations and booking changes for travel from 5 to 15 December and has arranged ground transport and hotel accommodations for affected passengers.
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