India’s largest airline ordered to slash winter schedule as flight cancellations trigger aviation crisis

The Indian government has ordered IndiGo to cut its winter schedule by 10 per cent afterthe country’s largest carrier cancelled more than 4,600 flights, causing days of disruption at almost all major airports.

The government intervened after a week-long collapse of operations which authorities and the airline blamed on mismanaged crew rosters and an unprepared shift to stricter pilot rest-time rules.

The regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation had initially announced a five per cent reduction but the civil aviation ministry raised the figure following a review with IndiGo chief executive Pieter Elbers.

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the government “considers it necessary to curtail the overall IndiGo routes” in order to restore stability, adding that the airline “will continue to cover all its destinations as before”.

IndiGo, which controls over 60 per cent of the domestic market and operates around 2,200 flights each day, will need to cancel more than 200 daily services now. Industry analysts warn that the cut, introduced during India’s peak winter travel season, could deepen the pressure on an already stretched aviation network. Rival carriers, mainly Air India and SpiceJet, possess limited spare aircraft to backfill IndiGo’s routes.

Aviation expert Sanat Kaul told the BBC that while the move might benefit travellers “in the long term”, it could drive fares higher in the short term.

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The government has also directed IndiGo to cap ticket prices, process refunds swiftly, and speed up baggage handovers.

The crisis has exposed the scale of IndiGo’s dominance. Of the roughly 1,200 domestic routes, IndiGo operates more than 950, according to the Indian Express. Aviation data examined by analyst and former airline network planner Ameya Joshi showed that some 600 of these were monopoly routes, around 63 per cent of its network, while roughly 200 were duopoly sectors where it faced only one competitor.

The Delhi High Court, hearing a petition on Wednesday, questioned how the situation was allowed to spiral into what it called a national “crisis”, warning the fallout extended beyond the “inconvenience and distress” suffered by stranded passengers.

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A bench of chief justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the federal government why it had “allowed” the disruption to escalate before intervening and expressed concern over soaring fares charged by competitor airlines.

“A ticket that was available for Rs 5,000 (£41) went up to Rs 30,000 (£250) to Rs 35,000 (£292). If there was a crisis, how could other airlines be permitted to take advantage? How can it go up to Rs 35,000 and Rs 39,000 (£325)?” PTI quoted the judges as asking.

In spite of Mr Elbers claiming on Tuesday that IndiGo had “fully stabilised” operations, the ninth straight day of disruptions saw over 70 cancellations on Wednesday, largely affecting the Bengaluru airport.

Flight cancellations had peaked at around 1,600 on Friday, followed by 850 on Saturday, 650 on Sunday, over 500 on Monday and more than 400 on Tuesday, according to the Hindustan Times.

Delhi and Bengaluru were hit the hardest, with nearly 100 cancellations each on some days.

Court filings and government statements suggested that IndiGo’s problems intensified after the second phase of the updated Flight Duty Time Limitations came into force on 1 November.

The rules – introduced to reduce pilot fatigue by mandating more rest and limiting overnight duties – required airlines to either recruit more pilots or scale back their schedules.

IndiGo reportedly told regulators it underestimated the number of crew needed and cancelled at least 755 flights in November due to the newly imposed constraints, the Indian Express reported.

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The regulator said the airline had admitted that “misjudgement and planning gaps” in implementing the new rules contributed to the crisis.

IndiGo also cited a mix of additional pressures, such as winter schedule changes, weather disruptions, congestion across India’s busy airports and minor technical issues.

In the wake of the crisis, the regulator temporarily relaxed some night-duty rules for IndiGo’s Airbus A320 pilots until 10 February to allow the airline to rebuild stability.

Mr Naidu confirmed that the regulator had issued showcause notices to Mr Elbers and chief operating officer Isidre Porqueras and opened an inquiry.

“Depending on the outcome, strict and appropriate action as empowered under the aircraft rules and Act will be taken,” he told parliament. The ministry earlier warned IndiGo of “strong action” over its handling of the crisis.

Shares in IndiGo’s parent company have fallen 15 per cent since 1 December, reflecting investor concerns over rising operational costs and the prospect of further penalties.

Passengers have continued to face long lines and overnight waits at major airports such as Delhi and Ahmedabad, with many forced to deboard delayed flights before they were cancelled.

IndiGo said on Tuesday it had completed “100 per cent of refunds for flights affected till 6 December”, with a directive to accelerate the remaining cases.

Opposition MP Karti Chidambaram described the turmoil as a “collective failure of the management of IndiGo, of the DGCA and the ministry”, arguing that the airline had known for months about the new pilot rest rules and should have hired more crew.

“There was no monitoring by the DGCA,” he told the ANI news agency, adding the regulators had cleared IndiGo’s request for 500 additional winter routes “without asking them the crucial question whether they have the capacity”.