IndiGo Flight Chaos Enters Third Day as 175 More Flights Cancelled Across India
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, faced a third consecutive day of turmoil on Thursday as at least 175 flights were cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across major airports, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Bengaluru. The disruptions, which follow 150 cancellations on Wednesday, stem from IndiGo’s failure to adequately adjust its rosters to comply with new government regulations aimed at improving pilot safety.
The new rules, effective from November 1, increase mandatory weekly pilot rest hours from 36 to 48 and limit night-time landings to two per week. While other carriers such as Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa Air have not experienced similar operational setbacks, IndiGo has acknowledged that the stricter flight duty limits have contributed to the crisis. Shares of IndiGo dropped 3.4% on Thursday, extending a week-long slide of 6%, even as aviation regulators prepared to meet the airline’s senior management to assess recovery plans.
Airports reported dozens of cancellations: 73 in Bengaluru, around 30 in Delhi, 68 in Hyderabad, and 85 planned in Mumbai. Frustrated travellers faced long queues, scarce seating and limited communication from the airline. Some passengers, like Ram Shankar Yadav in Pune, reported delays of up to six hours with little assistance, underscoring the mounting pressure on an airline long known for its punctuality and operational efficiency.
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