IndiGo assures DGCA of full operations by Feb 10 after flight disruptions

IndiGo has told India's aviation regulator its operations will be fully restored by February 10, and has asked for relief from some provisions that limit pilot duty hours at night after the airline cancelled hundreds of flights this week due to a shortage of aviators.

Thousands of passengers were stranded again on Thursday, the third day of chaos after India's biggest airline failed to make sufficient changes to its roster planning to accommodate new government regulations.

"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 Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement late on Thursday after a briefing from IndiGo representatives.

Shares of IndiGo operator Interglobe Aviation fell 3.4 per cent on Thursday and are down 6 per cent for the week.

IndiGo commands 60 per cent of the market and has built its reputation on punctuality, and has acknowledged that stricter flight duty time limits have been a factor in the cancellations. It did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

In a meeting with top IndiGo executives, India's aviation minister, however, stressed there was sufficient time to ensure a seamless transition to the new regulatory requirements and expressed displeasure with IndiGo's handling of the situation, the government said in a statement late on Thursday.

On Thursday, 73 flights were cancelled at Bengaluru airport, its spokesperson said. Around 30 were cancelled in Delhi, and 68 in Hyderabad, and 85 IndiGo flight cancellations were planned for Mumbai, according to airport sources. On Wednesday, at least 150 flights were cancelled.

The minister directed IndiGo to urgently normalize operations while ensuring no increase in airfares during the process.

"All aspects of IndiGo's operational recovery and passenger support measures will continue to be closely monitored until full stability is achieved," the government statement said.

The new rules have increased the amount of mandatory rest per week for pilots by 12 hours to 48 hours. In addition, pilots are now only allowed to make two night-time landings per week, down from six under the old rules.

A government source said IndiGo's request for relief from the provisions had been received and was under consideration.

"Indigo standard time"

A Reuters photographer said she was stuck inside her IndiGo plane for three hours when it landed in the western city of Pune on Wednesday night, with the pilot citing operational issues and the lack of permission to dock the plane until others had flown.

The debacle is a major setback for a two-decade-old airline that has more than 2,000 flights daily and a fleet of more than 400 planes, mostly Airbus A320s.

The airline has prided itself on its lack of delays, and its staff will often announce "IndiGo Standard Time" when boarding has been completed before scheduled, a play on "Indian Standard Time."

It remains to be seen just how badly the rostering woes will affect IndiGo, which garnered $9 billion in revenue in the past business year.

Its biggest rival, Air India, has its own troubles, and is under scrutiny following a June crash that killed 260 people.

At airports, frazzled and furious passengers stood in long queues inside crowded terminals as they tried to gather details about their flights.

Ram Shankar Yadav, who was travelling with family to attend his younger brother's wedding celebrations, told Reuters his flight had been delayed for six hours.

"We don't have enough chairs. People are taking newspapers to sit on the floor," Yadav told Reuters by telephone from the airport in Pune.

"People are angry. There's nobody to manage; their helplines are not working," he added.