Disorder breaks out at Indian airports after largest airline cancels flights

NEW DELHI Major Indian airports faced severe disruption Friday as passengers of IndiGo, the nations largest airline, struggled with extensive flight cancellations and delays. The disturbances were linked to newly enforced regulations restricting working hours for pilots and crew.

Passengers endured long waits at customer service counters, slept on airport floors, and faced unclear communication from airline staff. This marked the fourth consecutive day of operational difficulties for the budget carrier, which is adjusting to rules designed to increase rest periods and limit night flying to enhance safety.

The new regulations were introduced in stages, with the first phase implemented in July and the second in November. IndiGo encountered challenges in revising flight schedules promptly, resulting in widespread cancellations. On Thursday, over 300 flights were canceled, and hundreds more were delayed. A Delhi airport advisory on Friday indicated that all domestic IndiGo flights would remain suspended until midnight.

Other major airlines, including Air India, reported no similar disruptions. IndiGo operates roughly 2,300 flights daily and holds about 65% of Indias domestic aviation market.

Among affected passengers was senior citizen Sajal Bose, who had planned to fly from Kolkata to New Delhi with his wife to attend a friends silver jubilee celebration. Their flight was canceled an hour before departure. Bose said he would now take a nine-hour train journey to Bagdogra to catch a flight to New Delhi on another carrier, calling the situation very irresponsible and difficult for older travelers.

In an internal email, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers apologized to staff, citing technology problems, schedule adjustments, bad weather, airport congestion, and the new regulatory requirements as causes of the disruption. The Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed that the issues were mainly due to planning miscalculations as the airline implemented phase two of the regulations, noting that crew shortages exceeded expectations.

IndiGo has requested temporary exemptions and informed the government that corrective actions are in progress. The airline expects operations to normalize by February 10. In the meantime, further cancellations are anticipated, with flight schedules being reduced starting December 8 to limit additional disruptions.

Author: Lucas Grant