IndiGo continued to face severe operational disruptions for the third consecutive day on Thursday, forcing the budget carrier to cancel a large number of flights across major airports and leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
Flight Cancellations Cross 100; Major Airports Hit
More than 100 flights are likely to be cancelled today. In Delhi, over 30 departures were scrapped early in the morning, while Hyderabad reported about 33 cancellations. Bengaluru airport said that 73 IndiGo flights had been cancelled on Thursday. Mumbai and several other major airports also witnessed substantial disruption to the airline’s operations.
Over the past two days, the cancellations are estimated to have affected 250 to 300 flights nationwide, leading to long queues, confusion, and passenger anger due to sudden schedule changes.
Airport Chaos Across India
Flight disruptions have affected thousands of passengers nationwide for the third straight day. Videos circulating on social media on Thursday showed the ongoing chaos caused by IndiGo’s operational disruptions.
IndiGo Issues Public Apology
IndiGo, the country’s largest airline by market share, publicly apologized for the significant inconvenience caused to passengers, stating that the disruptions were due to “unforeseen operational issues” that put immense pressure on its network. The airline also said that efforts are underway to stabilize operations and restore normalcy as quickly as possible.
“We have had several unavoidable flight delays and some cancellations in the past few days due to various reasons, including technology issues, airport congestion, and operational requirements. Our teams are working diligently to ensure that operations normalise as soon as possible. Furthermore, we are offering alternate flight options or refunds to affected customers, as applicable. We regret the inconvenience caused to our valued customers due to these disruptions,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.
November Saw Over 1,200 Cancellations
IndiGo cancelled 1,232 flights in November, primarily due to restrictions on crew duty time and air traffic or airspace limitations, the airline said in a statement. The Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that the airline’s on-time performance this month fell to 67.7% from 84.1% in October.
DGCA Summons IndiGo for Explanation
The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has summoned IndiGo officials for a meeting on Thursday. A day earlier, the DGCA had stated that it was investigating the persistent disruptions at the airline and had directed IndiGo to explain the reasons behind the situation and outline measures to minimize cancellations and delays.
