IndiGo cancels 1,000 flights since Tuesday as new pilot duty rules trigger nationwide chaos

Passengers across Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru airports face severe disruption as IndiGo grounds hundreds of flights daily due to a sudden shortage of pilots under revised DGCA flight-duty regulations.

India’s largest airline is facing one of the worst operational breakdowns in its 20-year history, with IndiGo cancelling close to 1,000 flights over four days after a sudden shortage of pilots. The disruption has hit major airports including Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru, causing widespread passenger anger.

IndiGo announced on Friday morning that all domestic departures from Delhi would remain cancelled until midnight, while operations in Chennai were halted until 6 pm. Long queues, overcrowding and severe distress were reported at both airports, where passengers struggled to find seating, food access or even space to rest.

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Travellers who had paid high fares for time-sensitive journeys, including families with children and elderly passengers, were left stranded for hours. Many remained stuck inside terminals, unable to travel onward or leave the airport due to continuous uncertainty over flight status.

The crisis escalated after IndiGo cancelled 550 flights on Thursday, followed by another 550-600 cancellations on Friday. Earlier in the week, the airline had grounded 200 flights on both Tuesday and Wednesday. IndiGo has warned that normal operations may not resume until December 8.

The immediate trigger is the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms enforced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The revised rule mandates 48 hours of weekly rest for pilots, up from 36 hours earlier. The first phase began on July 1, followed by a second phase on November 1.

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The expanded rest requirement has sharply reduced the number of pilots available for IndiGo’s daily schedule of 2,200 domestic and international flights. The airline, which operates a heavy number of night flights, is also restricted by the new limits on late-night duty periods.

Pilot associations say IndiGo should have recruited more pilots earlier, anticipating the rule change. The Federation of Indian Pilots pointed out that the crisis was caused “not by pilots, but by IndiGo’s failure to prepare.”

Seeking temporary relief, IndiGo has requested the DGCA to defer strict enforcement of the new norms until February 10, 2026.

CEO Peter Elbers has apologised to passengers and said that IndiGo is working with the central government and DGCA to restore operations as quickly as possible.

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