IndiGo Flight Chaos Continues: 180+ Cancellations, Thousands Stranded
IndiGo has cancelled over 180 flights for the third day, leaving passengers stranded across major airports. While the airline blames new pilot fatigue rules and weather issues, India’s top pilot union claims the disruptions were “artificially created” to pressure the DGCA. Here’s everything you need to know.
image for illustrative purpose
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, continues to face massive operational disruptions as more than 180 flights were cancelled nationwide on Thursday marking the third consecutive day of widespread cancellations.
Passengers at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Bengaluru were left scrambling as boarding gates shut, schedules shifted, and long queues formed with luggage piling up on trolleys.
IndiGo attributed the crisis to a mix of factors:
Stricter pilot fatigue rules
Weather challenges
Technical issues
But India’s leading pilot body claims there’s more to the story.
Pilot Union Claims ‘Artificial Disruptions’ by Airlines
In a strong statement to PTI, Sam Thomas, President of the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India), alleged that airlines—particularly IndiGo—are deliberately slowing down operations to pressure the aviation regulator, DGCA.
According to him:
“Anytime rules are not in favour of airlines, they behave like spoiled children — delaying flights and causing disruptions so the DGCA bends to their demands.”
He added that the DGCA has been repeatedly warned about such tactics.
What Triggered This Wave of Cancellations?
The cancellations come shortly after India rolled out the updated Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules on November 1. The new norms introduce:
Longer mandatory rest periods
Stricter limits on night flying
Tighter fatigue regulations
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) accused IndiGo of failing to adjust its rosters in time, despite having months to prepare.
IndiGo acknowledged that “stricter duty time limits” contributed to the cancellations but did not go into detail.
Meanwhile, the airline’s parent company, InterGlobe Aviation, saw its stock fall 3.4% in a single day, extending its weekly losses to 6%.
Is IndiGo Understaffed? ALPA Suggests So
ALPA India’s president said airlines had reduced pilot numbers for “commercial reasons,” treating pilots like regular corporate workforce despite aviation’s high-risk nature.
“Airlines had enough time to prepare. Instead, they slashed pilot numbers. Now they claim they don’t have enough pilots to operate flights on time.”
Claims of ‘Fake On-Time’ Records
In another serious allegation, Thomas accused IndiGo of manipulating its on-time performance by building unrealistically long schedules.
He claimed:
“They show a Bengaluru–Mumbai flight as 2 hours, but land in 1 hour 40 minutes and call it ‘IndiGo Standard Time’. These are fraudulent practices.”
He said ALPA has already alerted the DGCA, which is “seriously reviewing the issue.”
Will the Disruption Continue?
With winter fog season approaching in northern India, Thomas warned that delays may increase if fatigue issues are not addressed.
The DGCA is now investigating IndiGo’s handling of the roster transition and the scale of cancellations.
Given IndiGo’s dominant 60% market share, prolonged instability could impact the entire Indian aviation network.
Passengers are strongly advised to check live flight status before heading to the airport.
