IndiGo cancels 750 flights amid pilot shortage

Low-cost carrier IndiGo’s operational disruption entered its third day on Friday, with over 750 flights cancelled across major airports, adding to the more than 550 cancellations reported the previous day.

The airline has called off all 235 flights at Delhi airport today, while operations at Chennai are expected to be affected until 6 pm. Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad have also experienced significant disruptions.

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The airline, India’s largest, has attributed the chaos to a pilot shortage compounded by the pressures of the winter schedule. IndiGo has requested partial relaxations of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules to help stabilise operations, noting that full compliance is not expected until February 2026.

According to sources, all 235 IndiGo flights at Delhi airport have been cancelled until midnight on Saturday.

Amid the disruptions, IndiGo issued an apology on Thursday evening to passengers and industry stakeholders affected by the widespread operational issues across its network.

“Our teams, working closely with MOCA, DGCA, BCAS, AAI, and airport operators, are making every effort to reduce the ripple effects of these delays and return operations to normal. We are keeping passengers informed about any changes to their scheduled flights and strongly recommend checking flight status before going to the airport,” the airline took it to X.

“IndiGo sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience and is fully committed to restoring and streamlining operations as swiftly as possible,” it said.

In a review meeting convened by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, the airline acknowledged that the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules—designed to increase rest periods and restrict duty hours—have intensified resource pressures amid an ongoing shortage of cockpit crew.

The airline has requested partial exemptions from the norms to help stabilize its operations.