Hit by crew shortage, Indigo cancels over 70 flights

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 said.

"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.