After Massive Disruptions, IndiGo Commits to DGCA on Full Operational Recovery by Feb 10

After cancelling hundreds of flights this week due to a lack of pilots, IndiGo has informed India's aviation regulator that its operations will be fully restored by February 10 and has requested relaxation from certain regulations that limit pilot duty hours at night. On December 4, the largest airline in India failed to make enough adjustments to its roster planning to comply with new government restrictions, leaving thousands of customers stuck once more.

Following a briefing from IndiGo representatives, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement late on December 4 that the disruptions were mainly caused by poor planning and misjudgment in implementing Phase 2 of the Flight Duty Time Limitations. The airline acknowledged that the actual crew requirement was higher than they had anticipated.

IndiGo’s Reputation on Stakes Now

With a 60% market share and a reputation for being on time, IndiGo has admitted that the cancellations were caused in part by tighter flight duty time constraints. However, India's aviation minister highlighted that there was enough time to guarantee a smooth transition to the new regulatory requirements and voiced dissatisfaction with IndiGo's handling of the problem in a meeting with top IndiGo officials, according to a government statement.

According to a representative, 73 flights were cancelled at Bengaluru airport on December 4. According to airport sources, there were about 30 cancelled IndiGo flights in Delhi, 68 in Hyderabad, and 85 scheduled for Mumbai. At least 150 flights were cancelled on 3^rd December. The minister instructed IndiGo to immediately resume operations while making sure that airfares would not rise in the process.

What Went Wrong?

Pilots are now required to take 48 hours of rest every week, up from 12 hours under the previous regulations. Additionally, pilots are now only permitted to land at night twice a week, as opposed to the previous six-time limit. IndiGo's request for relief from the provisions has been received and is being reviewed, according to a government source.

For a two-decade-old airline with over 400 aircraft, primarily Airbus A320s, and over 2,000 daily flights, the fiasco is a significant blow. Given that IndiGo made $9 billion in revenue during the previous fiscal year, it is unclear how severely the rostering issues will impact the company. After an accident in June that claimed 260 lives, Air India, its largest rival, is under investigation and has its own problems. In airports, agitated and frazzled travellers waited in long lines inside packed terminals to obtain information on their flights.