Chaos grips India’s busiest airports for fourth straight day as largest airline cancels over 500 flights
IndiGo cancelled over 1,200 flights last month after government mandated new crew rostering rules
Chaos reigned at India’s busiest airports for the fourth straight day on Friday after the country’s largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled nearly 550 flights.
Thousands of passengers were left stranded at airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bangalore after their flights were cancelled or delayed for over 10 hours.
The latest round of cancellations came while the carrier was under mounting pressure after cancelling over 1,200 flights in November, according to the national civil aviation regulator.
IndiGo apologised to its customers for “widespread disruption” across its network, which it attributed to a mix of issues, including adverse weather conditions, greater congestion and the government’s implementation of new crew rostering rules.
“The last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network and operations. We extend a heartfelt apology to all our customers and industry stakeholders who have been impacted by these events,” the airline said, adding that it was working to “reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy”.
On Wednesday, the airline had cancelled 67 flights at the Delhi airport, 40 at Hyderabad, 33 at Mumbai, and 62 at Bengaluru.
On Thursday, it cancelled 118 flights in Mumbai, 100 in Bangalore, 75 in Hyderabad, 35 in Kolkata, 26 in Chennai, and 11 in Goa, the news agency PTI reported.
The disruptions were expected to continue for at least a few more days as IndiGo asked the aviation regulator for a reprieve from the new, stricter flight duty limits, the key reason behind the recent spate of cancellations.
Passengers wandered around terminals looking visibly angry and confused, crowding around IndiGo counters in search of answers.
Many clutched their phones, trying to reach customer care while simultaneously pleading with overwhelmed staff for help.
People also gathered around departure boards, pointing at the long list of cancelled flights in disbelief.
“The 6pm flight is delayed by two hours, and even that gate has changed four times,” Rakesh Bhanushali, a chartered accountant from Mumbai, complained.
“We are relying on staff completely. Staff are cooperating but are frankly saying they aren’t aware what's happening."
In the wake of the cancellations, the aviation regulator asked IndiGo to submit a report on the recent disruption in its networks.
In response, the airline told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation its operations would be fully restored by 10 February and sought relief from some of the new provisions limiting pilot duty hours at night.
“The disruptions have arisen primarily from misjudgment 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 regulator said in a statement late on Thursday after a briefing from IndiGo representatives.
It said a total of 1,232 IndiGo flights were cancelled in November, with at least 755 attributed to the introduction of the new rules intended to ensure adequate rest for pilots and attendants and prevent fatigue.
The Flight Duty Time Limitations rules have complicated roster management for the airline, which was already facing a pilot shortage, Reuters reported, quoting sources.
IndiGo enjoys a domestic market share of about 60 per cent, operating over 2,200 flights daily, and is steadily expanding internationally to challenge rival Air India's dominance.
The airline prided itself on a lack of flight delays and its staff would often announce the "IndiGo Standard Time" whenever boarding was completed before scheduled, a play on “Indian Standard Time”.
IndiGo had an on-time performance of only about 35 per cent on Tuesday, according to government data, the lowest of all Indian airlines.
Its on-time performance this year has typically been above 80 per cent at major Indian airports.
In the wake of the disruptions, the airline’s stock fell 3.4 per cent on Thursday, down 6 per cent for the week.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments