IndiGo cancelled at least 38 flights from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport between Tuesday midnight and Wednesday evening due to technical glitches and operational challenges.
Over 70 IndiGo flights were cancelled, with 42 flights from Bengaluru affected by a crew shortage and 32 flights from Mumbai also grounded.
Thousands of passengers faced frustration as flight cancellations and delays disrupted travel at major airports across India. Reports indicate that the delays were mainly due to severe crew shortages, compounded by technical problems, airport congestion, and other operational challenges.
On Wednesday evening, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) stated, “From 00:00 hrs until now, 38 IndiGo flights, both domestic and international, have been cancelled.”
Officials, meanwhile, attributed the cancellations to a crew shortage following the implementation of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) from November 1.
FDTL limits the maximum time pilots and flight crews can work to prevent fatigue and ensure safety.
On Tuesday, data from the civil aviation ministry revealed that IndiGo’s on-time performance (OTP) at metro airports fell to 35 percent.
Acknowledging the widespread disruptions, the airline released an official statement attributing the delays to “operational challenges”, including technical issues, airport congestion, and other operational demands.
“We acknowledge that IndiGo’s operations have been significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days, and we sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused.
“A multitude of unforeseen operational challenges, including minor technology glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations), had a negative compounding impact on our operations in a way that was not feasible to be anticipated,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.
The spokesperson stated that the airline has implemented “calibrated adjustments” to its schedules to manage the disruption and restore stability.
“These measures will be in effect for the next 48 hours, helping us normalise operations and gradually improve punctuality across our network. Our teams are working tirelessly to minimise passenger inconvenience and ensure operations stabilise as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson added.
Additionally, the airline announced that affected passengers will be provided with alternate travel options or refunds, as applicable.
Additionally, flights operated by Air India, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet were also delayed after a global outage in the Amadeus check-in system affected airlines for about an hour on Tuesday night.
Air India reported a disruption in a “third-party system” affecting check-ins at several airports, which led to flight delays. The airline later confirmed that the system had been fully restored and that all operations were back to normal.