IndiGo’s operational disaster deepened on Friday as its on-time performance at six main metro airports collapsed to simply 8.5%, in accordance to information revealed on the Civil Aviation Ministry web site. The sharp fall turned the newest flashpoint in a seamless disruption that has now stretched into its fourth straight day.The airline cancelled all departing flights from Chennai airport till 6pm, in accordance to sources cited by PTI. Alongside, it additionally suspended all departures from Delhi Airport till midnight, including to the turmoil for passengers already dealing with widespread delays and cancellations throughout the nation.
This comes barely 24 hours after IndiGo scrapped greater than 550 home and worldwide flights, far above its common ranges of disruption. Airports stay overwhelmed as passengers report being stranded for days with out correct help. Scenes of frustration have been seen throughout terminals, with travellers complaining of no meals, no water, vacant counters and lacking baggage. Some flights had been delayed by greater than 12 hours, including to the congestion at airports equivalent to Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Goa.According to PTI, Friday’s cancellations alone crossed 400. The city-wise breakdown included 118 cancellations in Mumbai, 100 in Bengaluru, 75 in Hyderabad, 35 in Kolkata, 26 in Chennai and 11 in Goa, with a number of different airports additionally reporting disruptions. Queues have grown longer by the hour as flyers wrestle to rebook tickets or retrieve their baggage, whereas many complain of getting no readability on when they are going to be in a position to journey.With IndiGo accounting for roughly 65% of India’s home market, the influence has begun spilling over to different carriers.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has now stepped in, requiring IndiGo to submit an in depth roadmap overlaying pilot hiring, coaching timelines, roster restructuring and security assessments. The regulator has additionally made it necessary for the airline to file a progress report each 15 days. IndiGo has assured the DGCA that “normalized and stable operations will be fully restored by 10 February 2026.”IndiGo at the moment operates greater than 400 plane, runs over 2,300 flights each day, connects over 90 home and 45 worldwide locations, and flew 118 million passengers in FY25. The airline was not too long ago named “Best Airline in India and South Asia” at the 2025 Skytrax Awards.Data submitted to the regulator exhibits that IndiGo has 2,357 captains and a pair of,194 first officers obtainable for December. However, its crew requirement has risen sharply because the second part of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) guidelines got here into impact. In November alone, it required 2,422 captains and a pair of,153 first officers, greater than the October requirement of two,186 captains and 1,948 first officers. With the up to date FDTL norms additionally limiting the variety of night time landings per pilot, night time operations have confronted the toughest hit.On the highest of that, the airline additionally elevated its home flight depend by 6%, from 14,158 in the summertime schedule to 15,014 within the winter schedule starting 26 October. The mismatch between flight capability and obtainable pilots has resulted within the present crunch, leaving passengers to deal with each mass cancellations and hovering fares.
