IndiGo, India's largest airline, was forced to cancel a significant number of its flights on Thursday, adding to a series of operational challenges it has faced this winter season. The cancellations come at a time when the carrier is already under intense scrutiny from the country's aviation regulator.
Flight Cancellations and Affected Airports
The airline scrapped a total of 67 flights in a single day. Out of these, a majority—63 flights—were preemptively canceled due to forecasts of bad weather, while the remaining 4 were axed for operational reasons. The disruptions impacted passengers across several key airports in the country, including those in Agartala, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Varanasi, and Bengaluru.
DGCA Scrutiny and Winter Fog Regulations
This latest episode occurs while IndiGo remains under the watchful eye of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The regulator initiated close monitoring following massive flight disruptions earlier in December. The current winter fog season, officially from December 10 to February 10, imposes strict rules on airlines.
During this period, carriers are mandated to deploy specially trained pilots and aircraft equipped with CAT-IIIB technology. This advanced system allows planes to land safely even when visibility plunges to 50 meters or less.
Reduced Schedule and Ongoing Investigation
IndiGo is currently operating on a reduced schedule. Initially, the airline was authorized for 2,144 daily domestic flights this winter. However, after it canceled 1,600 flights in one day while adjusting to new pilot rest rules, the government imposed a 10% cut on its schedule. Consequently, IndiGo is now permitted to operate only 1,930 domestic flights per day.
A four-member DGCA panel is actively investigating the root causes of IndiGo's recent operational failures. The investigative team has already questioned top executives, including CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras. Their findings are anticipated to be released this week.
The airline acknowledged the ongoing issues on social media platform X, posting about delays in Bangalore attributable to fog and low visibility. These problems follow severe disruptions between December 1 and 9, when IndiGo canceled thousands of flights. The chaos was attributed to poor planning and staff shortages, exacerbated by the implementation of new pilot duty rest regulations that became effective on November 1.
