IndiGo Flight Chaos: 150 Cancellations, Crew Shortage, and New Pilot Roster Norms
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India's largest airline, IndiGo, faced a massive operational disruption on Wednesday, with over 150 flights cancelled and many delayed. The chaos was caused by a combination of factors, including tech glitches, unfavourable weather, increased congestion, and the implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that came into effect in November. According to an airline spokesperson, IndiGo's operations have been significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days. The disruptions were attributed to a combination of factors, including a mandatory Airbus A320 software patch that affected several flights over the last weekend. The patch was issued after 15 passengers were injured on a JetBlue-operated Airbus A320 flight due to an emergency landing caused by a sudden drop in altitude. The new FDTL norms, aimed at reducing fatigue and improving rest periods for pilots, have largely impacted IndiGo since their implementation. These norms establish increased weekly rest periods of 48 hours, extend night hours, and limit the number of night landings to only two. The rules are part of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) framework to regulate flight crew members' hours. The FDTL norms require pilots to be given 48 consecutive hours' rest every week to help them recover from fatigue. They also restrict night landings to a maximum of two and prohibit consecutive night duties. IndiGo's punctuality scores have dropped significantly, with an on-time performance score of just 35% on Tuesday, the lowest among all Indian airlines. The Airline Pilots Association of India has criticised the dominant airlines for failing to proactively plan resources during the crisis at IndiGo. The DGCA has asked IndiGo to submit a report detailing the reasons for the situation. The airline has apologised for the chaos and initiated 'calibrated adjustments' to its flight schedules.
