New Delhi, Dec 4 (UNI) India’s aviation regulator- Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday intensified monitoring of IndiGo after the airline reported significant operational disruptions across its network. The budget carrier’s cancellations have been rising sharply to reach 170-200 flights per day since late November, an official said.
The situation prompted an urgent review by the union Civil Aviation Minister with senior officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), IndiGo leadership, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The Minister directed AAI to ensure airport directors closely monitor conditions on the ground and provide full support to stranded passengers. The DGCA has also been instructed to keep a close watch on airfares amid the disruptions.
At a detailed review meeting held on Thursday, IndiGo attributed the cancellations to transitional challenges in implementing Phase 2 of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), along with winter operational constraints and gaps in crew planning.
The revised FDTL norms- rolled out on July 1 and November 1, 2025 following court orders- aim to strengthen fatigue management and enhance flight safety.
IndiGo acknowledged misjudgment in estimating crew requirements under the new norms, noting that the actual need exceeded projections. The airline said more cancellations are expected over the next 2-3 days as it works to stabilize schedules.
In order to minimize passenger inconvenience, IndiGo will scale down operations from December 8 onwards.
It has sought temporary operational exemptions from specific FDTL clauses until February 10, 2026, and assured DGCA that operations will normalize by that date.
A DGCA inspection at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1- hit hardest by the disruptions-found IndiGo’s passenger-handling manpower inadequate. The regulator has directed the airline to immediately increase staff and strengthen support services across affected airports.
DGCA has issued several compliance directives, including submission of a detailed crew recruitment and aircraft induction roadmap, revised roster planning, safety-risk assessments, mitigation strategies, and a clear plan to stabilize operations. IndiGo must also file progress reports every 15 days.
The regulator said it will maintain “strict, real-time monitoring” of IndiGo’s network performance and passenger-handling measures in the coming days.
