India's travel chaos has worsened after the country's largest airline IndiGo cancelled hundreds of scheduled flights on Friday following three days of widespread disruption across its network.
The carrier, with a 60% market share in India, typically operates over 2,000 flights daily and has been struggling with pilot shortages due to the implementation of new crew rostering regulations.
Thousands of passengers find themselves stranded across India during a peak travel season, with all IndiGo flights from the capital Delhi grounded.
IndiGo has announced that operations will return to full normalcy only by 10 February and is seeking temporary relief from stricter ground rules regarding flight duty times and rest periods for pilots.
To minimize further disruptions, the airline plans to reduce flight operations from 8 December.
The government is closely monitoring the situation, with the federal aviation minister expressing dissatisfaction over IndiGo's handling of the crisis.
The aviation regulator attributes the disruptions to “misjudgment and planning gaps” regarding the recent crew duty time restrictions and has ordered IndiGo to present a detailed action plan addressing crew recruitment, training, and safety assessments.
Local reports indicate that IndiGo received a waiver for new pilot rest regulations, but the Airline Pilots Association of India has criticized any such temporary relief as compromising safety standards.
December is traditionally a busy month in India for travel, marked by school holidays and wedding season. IndiGo has promised to waive cancellation fees for affected bookings between 5 and 15 December and is providing accommodations for stranded passengers.
Despite these measures, many passengers have reported frustrations over limited communication from the airline and insufficient food at airports. Even diplomats have expressed their dismay at being caught in travel woes, with Singapore's High Commissioner in India missing an important wedding event.
Major airports across Delhi, Mumbai, and other cities have issued advisories, urging travelers to confirm flight statuses before heading to airport terminals.
