Last Updated on December 4, 2025 3:52 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
Staff Reporter
Lakhs of passengers across India have been stranded as IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, battles severe operational disruptions driven by an acute pilot shortage. Over the past week, flight delays and cancellations have escalated sharply, with more than 200 flights cancelled on Wednesday alone and delays stretching up to 10 hours at major airports.
Government data shows IndiGo’s on-time performance plunged to 35% on December 2, the lowest among all Indian carriers. With the airline transporting nearly one million passengers every three days, the disruption has had a widespread impact, sparking public outrage on social media.
Responding to the crisis, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has summoned IndiGo’s senior leadership to account for the “unprecedented disruptions” and present a concrete recovery plan during the peak travel season.
In November, IndiGo cancelled 1,232 flights, with 62% linked to crew shortages. The situation deteriorated further following stricter flight duty time regulations aimed at reducing pilot fatigue. Cancellations hit key hubs including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, exacerbated by a brief global check-in system outage.
IndiGo has announced calibrated flight reductions, while the DGCA continues close monitoring to mitigate passenger inconvenience.