IndiGo's Mass Flight Cancellations Blame Game Shifts to Scheduling Failures
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A government inquiry committee has submitted a confidential report on the IndiGo operational crisis, which has revealed that the airline's scheduling failures, not crew shortages, were the main cause of the mass cancellations that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded earlier this month. According to a systemic review conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), IndiGo employed 891 more pilots than the global standard required in November. This surplus, however, did not prevent the airline from cancelling over 5,000 flights within six days, stranding passengers across the country. The review, which was conducted to determine whether the airline's preparedness was adequate in the context of revised crew fatigue rules, found that IndiGo's pilot strength was more than sufficient to cover operations, training, leave, and contingencies. The data suggests that the airline's main challenge lay in scheduling and rostering pilots, rather than a shortage of crew. The review noted that IndiGo's pilot complement represented approximately six crew sets per aircraft, matching global best practice. However, the airline still cancelled hundreds of flights and refunded over ₹1,500 crore to passengers between late November and mid-December. The DGCA's minimum standard requires only three crew sets per aircraft, or 1,842 pilots for IndiGo's November fleet—less than half the number the airline actually employed. The data indicates that pilot availability was not the binding constraint during the disruption period, but rather the airline's own rostering practices and pilot contract clauses. The findings of the review have significant implications for IndiGo and the aviation industry as a whole. It highlights the need for airlines to re-examine their scheduling and rostering practices to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
