IndiGo warns of more cancellations, full operations restored only by Feb 10

IndiGo told the DGCA that flight disruptions may continue as the airline grapples with planning gaps and pilot shortages linked to FDTL rules. It will cut flights from December 8 to stabilise ops

Low-cost airline IndiGo on Thursday informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that further flight cancellations are likely in the coming days, and that its operations will fully stabilise only by February 10 next year, PTI reported.

 

The DGCA and the civil aviation ministry had called for a meeting with the airline after two days of chaotic flight cancellations across the country, and over 500 flight cancellations on Thursday, according to PTI.

 

The airline told the regulator that it will reduce its flight operations from December 8 to minimise disruptions, the DGCA said in a statement. It added that operations are being disrupted primarily because of "misjudgment and planning gaps" in the implementation of the flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules. 

 

The carrier, struggling with a growing pilot shortage due to the implementation of the rules that limit pilot duty time, has sought relief from the DGCA.

 

"IndiGo is directed to submit the FDTL relaxations required to normalise the flight operations for DGCA review," the statement said.

 

The regulator has also directed IndiGo to submit a progress report every 15 days detailing operational improvements and crew availability.

 

The statement comes after the carrier was summoned by the regulator to present the facts leading to the current situation, along with plans to mitigate the ongoing delays and cancellations.

 

IndiGo, India’s largest airline with around 2,300 daily flights, also cancelled over 300 flights in the past two days and delayed hundreds more. In a statement on Wednesday, the DGCA said IndiGo cancelled 1,232 flights last month, 61 per cent of them due to flight duty time limitation (FDTL) issues.