Thousands of IndiGo passengers across India were left stranded on Thursday as the country’s largest airline entered its third straight day of flight cancellations and chaos.
By early morning at least 175 flights had been cancelled after 150 cancellations the day before disrupting travel plans in major hubs including New Delhi Mumbai Hyderabad Pune and Bengaluru. Frustrated passengers crowded terminals demanding answers.
The crisis stems from IndiGo’s failure to adjust its crew schedules ahead of new government safety rules. These regulations which came into effect on November 1 extend mandatory rest hours for pilots and introduce tighter restrictions on night operations.
The Federation of Indian Pilots says the airline didn’t plan its rosters properly leaving IndiGo short staffed and unable to meet its ambitious flight schedule.
IndiGo which controls 60 percent of India’s aviation market and is known for its punctuality has admitted that stricter duty time limits contributed to the cancellations. But the airline has offered little explanation beyond that and did not respond to new requests for comment on Thursday.
The impact is being felt beyond airports. IndiGo’s shares fell 3.4 percent on Thursday and are down more than six percent for the week as investors react to the mounting operational mess.
For now the airline is scrambling to stabilise its schedule and repair its image. But with thousands still stranded and more flights likely at risk questions are growing about how IndiGo a carrier built on reliability allowed its operations to descend into days of disruption.
