IndiGo Crisis Deepens: Over 70 New Cancellations; Delhi HC Steps In Amid Mounting Passenger Woes

IndiGo Meltdown: Thousands of Cancellations, Delhi HC Intervention, and Crew Shortage Fuel India’s Biggest Aviation Crisis.

Despite IndiGo’s assurances that operations are stabilizing, cancellations have continued, with over 70 fresh disruptions reported on a recent day and more than 400 on several earlier days, bringing the total since early December 2025 close to 5,000. The Delhi High Court, while hearing a plea on the issue, took serious note of the “plight of passengers,” highlighting how many, especially seniors and children, were left stranded and even facing health problems due to the prolonged delays.

The court also questioned the government’s inability to prevent the escalating crisis and sought an explanation on the steep rise in airfares, with last-minute tickets reportedly costing between iGo to reduce its operations by 10%, up from an earlier 5% mandate, citing “internal mismanagement” as the root cause of passenger inconvenience.

To aid in restoring stability, the DGCA granted IndiGo a one-time relaxation in specific crew duty rules, especially those related to night operations. Meanwhile, IndiGo has stated that it is actively processing refunds and has already released hundreds of crores of rupees for cancelled flights.

The widespread disruption in IndiGo’s operations is primarily rooted in an acute crew shortage triggered by the implementation of the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms. These revised DGCA-mandated rules, intended to curb pilot fatigue and enhance flight safety, introduce several significant changes, including a longer mandatory weekly rest period, an expanded definition of night duty, and a sharp reduction in the number of permissible night landings, reportedly cut from six to just two.

While the norms aim to strengthen safety standards, IndiGo has been widely criticized for its lack of preparedness ahead of the second phase of implementation in November. According to pilot unions and industry sources, the airline failed to realign its crew rosters, adjust manpower allocation, or scale up staffing in time, leading to a severe mismatch between available pilots and scheduled flights. This operational shortfall has cascaded into thousands of cancellations and delays nationwide, forming the core of the ongoing crisis.