Thirty-six flights cancelled in Ahmedabad
More than 450 IndiGo flights were scrapped at airports across the country on Monday, as India’s largest carrier continued to struggle with restoring normal operations. The disruption has now stretched into its seventh consecutive day, marking an air travel crisis unlike anything the country has seen before.
At Delhi airport alone, 134 IndiGo flights — 75 outgoing and 59 incoming — were cancelled. Bengaluru recorded 127 cancellations, while Chennai and Hyderabad saw 71 and 77 flights grounded, respectively. Further north, Jammu reported 20 cancellations and Srinagar 16. Operations were also hit in Ahmedabad, where 36 flights were called off, and in Vizag, which saw seven cancellations. Major hubs such as Mumbai and Kolkata faced considerable operational setbacks as well.
The scale of disruption followed a day after IndiGo axed over 650 flights on Sunday, an improvement from the more than 1,000 cancellations two days earlier. Officials confirmed that more than ₹610 crore in refunds has already been issued to passengers affected by the turmoil.
The airline attributed the crisis to a sudden shortage of cockpit crew after the government fully enforced the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, which regulate pilot rest hours. With the new rules triggering widespread cancellations and chaos at key airports, the government intervened, put the regulations on hold, and the airline now aims to restore normal schedules by December 10.
On Sunday, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras more time to respond to show-cause notices related to the massive flight disruptions. The deadline has been extended by 24 hours, giving them until 6 pm on Monday to file their explanations.
The Civil Aviation Ministry, meanwhile, has introduced a series of measures, from imposing fare caps to instructing IndiGo to accelerate refunds. A high-level investigation is underway. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated that the airline must answer for the crisis, noting that the pilot duty regulations had been communicated a year in advance.
IndiGo is currently assessing the underlying reasons for the operational breakdown, which it says stemmed from multiple contributing factors. The ministry also reiterated that as of Saturday, the airline had returned ₹610 crore to customers and reunited 3,000 pieces of baggage with travellers, following a government ultimatum to expedite reimbursements.
Also Read: IndiGo Chaos: 400-Plus Flights Cancelled, Government Steps In https://www.vibesofindia.com/indigo-chaos-400-plus-flights-cancelled-government-steps-in/
