IndiGo Cancels 200 Flights in Two Days as Crew Shortage Disrupts Operations

India's dominant airline, IndiGo, encountered severe operational turmoil on December 2 and 3, 2025, resulting in the cancellation of more than 200 flights and delays affecting hundreds more across key airports such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. The disruptions stranded thousands of passengers, overwhelmed terminals with protracted queues, and prompted an urgent investigation by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). With IndiGo handling approximately 2,300 daily flights, the on-time performance plummeted to 35 percent on December 2, underscoring the scale of the network-wide failure.

The primary catalyst was an acute shortage of pilots and cabin crew, intensified by the second phase of stricter Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms enforced from November 1, 2025. These regulations mandate 48 hours of weekly rest, extend night duty definitions, and restrict night landings to two per pilot in a designated period, severely constraining IndiGo's high-volume overnight operations. Compounding factors included technical glitches in check-in and departure systems at major hubs, winter fog-induced congestion, adverse weather, and baggage handling breakdowns, which created cascading delays in the airline's tightly synchronized rotations.

IndiGo's challenges stem from its reliance on a lean crew utilization model, which maximizes duty hours for efficiency but proved vulnerable to the new FDTL caps on daily flight time (eight hours), weekly limits (35 hours), and annual totals (1,000 hours), alongside mandatory rest equaling twice the duty duration. November 2025 alone saw 1,232 cancellations, with 755 attributed to crew and FDTL constraints, far outpacing other carriers like Air India or Vistara, whose smaller night networks and greater scheduling flexibility mitigated similar impacts.

Also Read: Passenger Chaos at Mumbai Airport as IndiGo Cancels 32 Flights Over Crew Shortage

In response, the DGCA summoned IndiGo executives to explain the lapses and submit comprehensive mitigation strategies, emphasizing compliance with safety protocols. IndiGo acknowledged the "multitude of unforeseen operational challenges" in an official statement, apologizing to affected customers and outlining measures such as crew redeployment, preemptive cancellations, and alternate routing or refunds. The airline anticipates stabilization within 48 hours through calibrated adjustments to rosters and schedules.

As the probe unfolds, the episode highlights broader vulnerabilities in India's aviation sector amid surging winter demand and regulatory tightening, with passengers urged to monitor updates closely. IndiGo's teams remain engaged in round-the-clock efforts to restore normalcy, though the incident has eroded confidence in the carrier's operational resilience.

Also Read: IndiGo Hit With ₹117.5-Crore GST Demand, Penalty; Airline Calls Order “Erroneous”