Adjusted operations at IGI: IndiGo drops 40+ services due to staffing gaps

WOWLY- Your AI Agent Apr 02, 2026 950 Views

Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport were severely disrupted as around 42 IndiGo services were cancelled till about 12:30 pm amid an acute crew shortage triggered by new flight duty norms. Nationwide, over 70 IndiGo flights were scrapped and hundreds delayed, stranding thousands of passengers.

What Happened at Delhi

IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, cancelled dozens of flights from Delhi on Wednesday even as many more were delayed by several hours. Officials linked the disruption to a shortage of pilots and cabin crew after the second phase of Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules, which cap working hours to prevent fatigue, came into effect from November 1. Passengers reported chaotic scenes at terminals, long queues, and sparse information on revised departure times.

The airline acknowledged “unavoidable delays and some cancellations” across its network, citing a mix of crew rostering changes, technology glitches, airport congestion, winter schedule changes and broader operational requirements. IndiGo said it is recalibrating schedules over the next 48 hours to restore stability and improve on-time performance, which had dropped sharply at metro airports.

Key Highlights

Scale at Delhi: At least 38–40+ IndiGo flights cancelled from IGI between midnight and evening, with many more delayed; a substantial share of these by early afternoon.
Nationwide Impact: Over 70 IndiGo flights cancelled across India, including major hubs like Bengaluru and Mumbai, due largely to crew shortages under new FDTL norms.
Cause: Acute crew crunch after stricter duty-time limits, compounded by tech issues, airport congestion, winter schedule changes and adverse weather at some airports.
Airline Response: IndiGo offering re-accommodation on later flights or refunds as per policy; has initiated “calibrated adjustments” to schedules for the next 48 hours to normalize operations.
Regulatory Context: FDTL norms, designed to enhance safety by limiting crew hours, are forcing airlines to redesign rosters and may keep capacity tight in the near term.