India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
IndiGo
said
its
operations
have
largely
stabilised
after
a
week
of
disruption,
with
1,800
flights
running
on
Monday
and
on-time
performance
across
the
network
touching
90%.
The
airline
said
the
schedule
is
now
fully
restored,
while
refunds
worth
hundreds
of
crores
and
large-scale
passenger
support
arrangements
are
still
being
processed
across
India.
Despite
that
recovery,
IndiGo
continued
to
cancel
a
significant
number
of
services
from
major
airports
as
the
impact
of
crew
rostering
issues
lingered.
Civil
Aviation
Minister
Ram
Mohan
Naidu
said
the
government
has
launched
a
probe
into
the
episode,
which
followed
the
rollout
of
new
Flight
Duty
Time
Limitations
norms
designed
to
manage
pilot
fatigue.
IndiGo’s
operations
stabilized
with
1,800
flights
and
90%
on-time
performance
on
Monday,
after
a
week
of
disruption
due
to
crew
rostering
issues,
leading
to
562
cancelled
flights
from
six
metro
airports,
including
150
from
Bengaluru.
The
airline
is
processing
refunds
worth
Rs
827
crore
for
cancellations
up
to
December
15,
and
the
Civil
Aviation
Ministry
has
launched
a
probe
into
the
matter.
IndiGo
flights
operations
and
cancellations
On
Sunday,
IndiGo
had
operated
1,650
flights
with
75%
on-time
performance.
By
Monday,
departures
increased
to
1,800,
and
punctuality
rose
to
90%
across
the
system,
according
to
the
airline.
IndiGo
said
all
remaining
cancellations
in
Monday’s
plan
were
decided
a
day
earlier,
so
flyers
received
advance
alerts
about
changes.
Even
as
the
airline
reported
full
restoration
of
its
network,
disruption
remained
heavy
in
some
hubs.
IndiGo
on
Monday
cancelled
562
flights
from
six
metro
airports,
and
150
of
those
cancellations
originated
from
Bengaluru
airport
alone.
PTI
reported
that
around
560
of
IndiGo’s
usual
2,300
daily
flights
from
the
six
key
metros
were
called
off.
IndiGo
operates
services
to
and
from
about
90
domestic
airports
and
more
than
40
overseas
airports.
The
scale
of
its
schedule
meant
that
any
roster
disruption
quickly
affected
thousands
of
passengers
across
India
and
abroad,
leading
to
long
queues,
delays
and
pressure
on
airport
infrastructure
through
the
first
week
of
December.
IndiGo
flights
refunds
and
passenger
support
The
airline
said
it
has
already
processed
refunds
worth
Rs
827
crore
for
affected
passengers,
with
the
balance
still
under
way
for
cancellations
up
to
15
December.
IndiGo
added
that
all
refunds
are
being
sent
back
to
the
original
mode
of
payment
and
may
show
up
as
one
or
two
separate
transactions.
In
a
detailed
update
on
X,
IndiGo
told
customers:
“We’d
like
to
inform
you
that
refunds
for
flights
cancelled
between
3rd
December
2025
and
15th
December
2025
are
already
being
processed.
In
case
your
plans
have
changed
due
to
the
disruption,
we
are
also
offering
a
full
waiver
on
change
and
cancellation
requests
for
all
bookings
valid
for
travel
till
15th
December
2025.
You
can
do
so
by
visiting
https://bit.ly/4iGWxU9
and
following
the
simple
steps.
Refunds
will
be
credited
to
the
original
payment
method
and
may
appear
as
one
or
two
transactions,” it
said.
The
airline
also
issued
an
apology
to
affected
travellers.
“We
are
deeply
sorry
for
the
disruption
to
your
journey.
Please
be
assured
that
our
teams
both
on
the
ground
and
behind
the
scenes
are
working
tirelessly
to
support
all
affected
customers
and
restore
normal
operations
as
quickly
as
possible,”
it
added.
We’d
like
to
inform
you
that
refunds
for
flights
cancelled
between
3rd
December
2025
and
15th
December
2025
are
already
being
processed.In
case
your
plans
have
changed
due
to
the
disruption,
we
are
also
offering
a
full
waiver
on
change
and
cancellation
requests
for
all…—
IndiGo
(@IndiGo6E)
December
8,
2025.
IndiGo
flights
assistance
and
key
numbers
To
manage
stranded
passengers
between
1
and
7
December,
IndiGo
said
it
organised
more
than
9,500
hotel
rooms.
The
airline
also
arranged
close
to
10,000
cabs
and
buses
for
disrupted
customers.
Over
4,500
delayed
bags
have
already
reached
travellers,
and
IndiGo
said
remaining
baggage
should
be
delivered
within
the
next
36
hours.
According
to
the
airline,
staff
members
assisted
more
than
2
lakh
customers
every
day
during
the
disruption
phase.
Support
was
handled
through
call
centres,
digital
channels
and
airport
counters.
IndiGo
said
the
scale
of
the
operation
required
round-the-clock
coordination
across
teams
to
track
bookings,
refunds,
rebookings
and
luggage
movements.
| Item | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
|
Flights operated Monday |
1,800 |
7th day of disruption |
|
On-time performance Monday |
90% | Network-wide |
|
Refunds processed |
Rs 827 crore |
Up to 15 December 2025 |
|
Hotel rooms arranged |
Over 9,500 |
1–7 December |
|
Cabs/buses arranged |
Close to 10,000 |
1–7 December |
|
Flights cancelled from six metros Monday |
562 |
Including 150 from Bengaluru |
IndiGo
flights
DGCA
norms
and
government
probe
The
Directorate
General
of
Civil
Aviation
last
year
introduced
new
Flight
Duty
Time
Limitations
rules,
aimed
at
reducing
pilot
fatigue
and
improving
safety.
Regulators
expected
airlines
to
realign
crew
rosters
before
the
norms
took
effect.
However,
IndiGo
did
not
successfully
reorganise
its
pilot
schedules,
which
led
to
large-scale
cancellations
and
delays
once
the
changes
began
applying.
To
calm
operations
during
the
crisis,
the
DGCA
temporarily
paused
implementation
of
some
of
the
fresh
safety
norms.
This
pause
was
meant
to
stabilise
schedules
while
airlines,
including
IndiGo,
corrected
their
crew
planning
systems.
Despite
the
temporary
relief,
the
initial
failure
to
match
rosters
with
the
FDTL
rules
triggered
days
of
disruption
for
passengers.
Civil
Aviation
Minister
Ram
Mohan
Naidu
told
Parliament
that
the
government
is
examining
IndiGo’s
role
in
the
situation.
Naidu
said
the
ministry
had
already
met
IndiGo
on
1
November,
when
the
airline
sought
clarifications
about
the
new
rules.
“This
was
an
operational
issue
created
by
IndiGo…we
were
continuously
in
touch…on
November
1,
too,
the
ministry
had
a
meeting…IndiGo
sought
some
clarification
and
it
was
given…they
failed
to
maintain
their
roster,” Naidu
told
the
Rajya
Sabha.
IndiGo
flights
pilot
allegations
and
ongoing
questions
A
pilot
from
IndiGo,
speaking
anonymously
to
News18,
alleged
that
some
cancellations
were
deliberate.
According
to
the
pilot,
the
airline
tried
to
build
disruption
data
while
seeking
changes
to
the
FDTL
norms.
News18
said
IndiGo
was
asked
for
comment
on
these
claims,
but
a
response
had
not
arrived
when
the
report
was
published.
The
pilot
alleged:
“The
FDTL
norms
came
in
January
2024.
But
on
November
1,
even
with
special
Directorate
General
of
Civil
Aviation
(DGCA)
clearance,
IndiGo
still
cancelled
flights
to
create
fake
disruption
data
and
pressure
the
regulator,”
said
the
pilot,
who
spoke
on
condition
of
anonymity.
“The
pilots
wanted
to
fly,
but
the
airline
refused,”
he
added.
As
IndiGo
works
to
keep
90%
of
flights
on
time
and
clear
refunds,
the
airline
still
faces
scrutiny
from
regulators,
Parliament
and
its
own
staff.
The
probe
ordered
by
the
Centre,
the
DGCA’s
handling
of
safety
norms
and
the
pilot’s
allegations
are
likely
to
decide
how
IndiGo’s
rostering
systems
and
compliance
practices
are
judged
in
the
coming
months.
