Nearly 300 IndiGo flights remained cancelled across various airports on Monday as operations at the country’s largest airline were yet to return to normal, with disruptions continuing for the seventh straight day in an air travel crisis of a scale India has never witnessed.
At Delhi airport, 134 IndiGo flights -- 75 departures and 59 arrivals -- were cancelled today, while Bengaluru airport saw 127 cancellations. In Ahmedabad, 20 flights were grounded, and seven were cancelled in Vizag. Other major airports, including Mumbai and Kolkata, also faced significant disruptions.
The country’s largest airline cancelled over 650 flights on Sunday, down from more than 1,000 two days earlier. Over Rs 610 crore worth of ticket refunds have been processed for affected passengers, according to officials.
The crisis, as per the company, was primarily triggered by a shortage of cockpit crew following the full implementation of government regulations on pilot rest, known as the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. As this led to massive cancellations, causing utter chaos at the country's major airports, the government stepped in, stayed the rule, and the airline hopes to bring operations back to normalcy by December 10.
On Sunday, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted an extension to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras for submitting their responses to the show-cause notices regarding the flight disruptions. Both individuals have been given an additional 24 hours, or until 6 pm on Monday, to submit their replies.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has taken several measures so far, including capping airfares and directing IndiGo to expedite its ticket refund process. A high-level inquiry has been launched into the crisis, with the minister, Ram Mohan Naidu, saying the responsibility lies with the airline, and the direction for flight pilot duty was issued a year ago.
The airline is examining the root cause of the mess, which it claims was triggered by a combination of factors.
The ministry also said IndiGo has processed Rs 610 crore in refunds and delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers across the country as of Saturday. The government had earlier issued an ultimatum to the airline to refund affected passengers.
