Hyderabad: India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has been hit by widespread disruptions, with hundreds of flights cancelled daily across major airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. As of December 5, 2025, the fourth straight day of chaos, over 400 flights were scrapped today alone, stranding thousands of passengers and sparking outrage on social media and at terminals.
Key Reasons for the Cancellations
Crew and Pilot Shortages Due to New Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) Rules: The main reason for the flight cancellations is crew shortages caused by the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms.
Operational and Technical Glitches: IndiGo cited “minor technological issues” in crew rostering software, which snowballed amid the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) changes. Combined with winter schedule shifts (e.g., more early-morning flights), this led to mismatched crew availability. Airport congestion and air traffic control bottlenecks, exacerbated by India’s booming aviation sector, have worsened delays, forcing pre-emptive cancellations.
Scale of the Disruptions
December 2 (Day 1): 200 cancellations; on-time performance at 35%.
December 3 (Day 2): 150+ cancellations (e.g., 62 in Bengaluru, 38 in Delhi).
December 4 (Day 3): 300–550 cancellations (e.g., 73 in Bengaluru, 95 in Delhi, 85 in Mumbai).
December 5 (Day 4): 400+ cancellations so far (e.g., all Delhi domestic departures until midnight, 104 in Mumbai, 102 in Bengaluru).
Bureau Report
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