India’s biggest airline, IndiGo, has been going through a major operational crisis, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations across the country. Passengers at airports in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru have faced long queues, sudden delays, and chaotic travel schedules.
The core issue is a shortage of pilots and crew after the implementation of stricter DGCA duty-time rules. These new guidelines require longer rest hours and place tighter limits on night operations.
With IndiGo’s large daily schedule and limited staffing buffer, the airline could not realign its roster in time, pushing the system into disruption.
Over the past few days, IndiGo has cancelled hundreds of flights every day, affecting thousands of passengers nationwide. Many travellers have missed connections, had their trips postponed, or been stuck at airports for hours.
The airline has issued public apologies and offered full refunds or free rescheduling options to affected passengers. Authorities have also provided temporary flexibility on certain duty rules to help IndiGo stabilise operations more quickly.
As the situation affects common people across India, it’s important that the matter is handled responsibly.
Political leaders should avoid turning this airline disruption into a political agenda against the ruling government.
Aviation safety rules, workforce planning, and operational challenges are technical issues that require coordinated solutions — not political blame games. Turning a logistical crisis into a political battlefield only adds unnecessary tension for the public already dealing with travel stress.
Travellers flying with IndiGo in the coming days should check their flight status multiple times before heading to the airport, as the schedule may continue to fluctuate until staffing stabilises.
With corrective measures now underway, IndiGo is working to bring its operations back to normal. For the moment, passengers are hopeful that the turbulence settles soon and regular travel resumes without further disruptions.
