IndiGo has to face considerable hindrances as a pilot shortage provokes slow-moving and canceled flights all over India.

IndiGo which is the biggest airline of India is going through a very tough operational challenge of the year as the steep shortage of pilots is causing delays and cancellations of flights at almost all the major airports. Not only the passengers but also the city airlines are having to deal with the nightmare of there being a delay in their flights of up to seven hours in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi causing many people to be frustrated and stranded.

The situation got worse on Wednesday when several cabin crew members were said to be absent from duty in Mumbai, and the staff that was already overworked became even more so.

Cause of the Pilot Shortage

The pilot shortage is the result of the stringent application of new rest and duty time regulations for pilots which are effective from November 1. These rules, designed to safeguard pilots, demand longer rest periods thus putting a limit on the number of hours pilots can fly.

In the past couple of weeks, IndiGo’s operations team has reportedly reached out to a number of pilots on sick leave, asking them to come back earlier, and has also requested others to give up their scheduled privilege leave. This has caused resentment within the pilot community.

Performance Hits Rock Bottom

Government statistics show a considerable decline in punctuality of IndiGo airlines:

On December 2, only 35% of flights were on time

On December 1, 49.5% were on time

The chain of delayed flights is also impacting very important routes like the one from Mumbai to Maldives, which is operated by IndiGo, and the flight was delayed because of the unavailability of crew.

Major Airports Affected

The impact is felt all over the country:

Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport experienced multiple cancellations for the second consecutive day.

Hyderabad experienced the cancellation of 19 IndiGo flights—both arrivals and departures—on Wednesday.

Travelers at some airports expressed their dissatisfaction regarding poor communication and lack of help amidst the turmoil.

Pilot Body Raises Concerns

According to sources, the pilots are not agreeing with IndiGo’s claimed effort to “reinterpret” the new rest norms as a way to prevent staff shortages. The matter got escalated last week when the meeting between the Airlines Pilot Association (ALPA) and the DGCA Director General took place, where pilot welfare and safety were the main topics.

IndiGo Responds

In a statement to the media, IndiGo said that the disruptions were caused by a number of factors including technology problems, congestion in the airport, and operational needs.

The statement of the airline was, “Our teams are putting in a lot of effort to make sure that normal operations are resumed as soon as possible.”

A Growing Challenge for India’s Aviation Sector

The situation that continues to affect the aviation industry of India shows that it is not a good thing within the market that has been booming so fast: airlines are expanding faster than the trained pilots' availability. With the winter season already here and the demand for air travel skyrocketing, it will be interesting to see how the airline which has more than 60% of India’s domestic passengers—IndiGo—will manage to return to normal operations.