IndiGo told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday that it expects its operations to return to normal only by February 10 and has sought temporary exemptions from parts of the stricter flight duty-time norms amid severe disruptions and widespread cancellations, Reuters reported.
The airline also said it will begin reducing its flight schedule from Monday to stabilise operations until then, The Indian Express reported.
“The disruptions have arisen primarily from misjudgement and planning gaps in implementing Phase 2 of the (Flight Duty Time Limitations), with the airline accepting that the actual crew requirement exceeded their anticipation,” the aviation regulator said on Thursday after speaking with airline officials.
IndiGo told the regulator that its Airbus A320 fleet requires 2,422 captains and 2,153 first officers to maintain stable operations, compared with its current 2,357 captains and 2,194 first officers, The Indian Express reported.
On Thursday alone, at least 550 IndiGo flights were cancelled while hundreds more were delayed.
The airline’s on-time performance, which is expected to be at least 80%, fell to 35% on Tuesday and dropped further to 19.7% for much of Wednesday, The Telegraph reported.
Major airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata and Lucknow experienced long queues, overcrowding and staff shortages, with passengers reporting last-minute cancellations and limited communication from airline staff.
The disruptions come amid stricter crew rostering and duty-time norms introduced in November.
The revised rostering norms issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in January 2024 after concerns about pilot fatigue were meant to take effect on June 1. However, airlines asked for delayed implementation because of staffing shortages and operational challenges, and the key changes were eventually introduced on November 1.
The new rules require longer weekly rest, restrict night landings, extend the definition of night hours and limit consecutive night duties, The Indian Express reported.
Civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu instructed all airports to support stranded passengers and directed the regulator to monitor airfares during the disruptions. He also told IndiGo to proactively inform travellers about any expected cancellations, The Telegraph reported.
The airline, which operates more than 2,000 flights daily and holds about 60% of India’s civil aviation market domestically, has been more affected by the new rules than other carriers. Its share price has fallen around 6% this week, Reuters reported.
On Thursday, IndiGo issued a public apology to all customers and industry stakeholders and claimed it was working to “reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy”.
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