IndiGo Flights Face Major Nationwide Disruptions

India’s largest airline, IndiGo, experienced a third consecutive day of cancellations and delays on Thursday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at major airports including New Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune and Bengaluru.

At least 175 flights were cancelled on Thursday and 150 the day before, as IndiGo struggled to adapt to new government regulations on pilot working hours introduced in early November. The rules increase weekly rest requirements, limit night-time landings and tighten duty-hour caps.

While the regulations apply nationwide, other airlines such as Air India and SpiceJet have not faced similar disruption, raising questions about why IndiGo was hit so hard.

The airline said a mix of operational challenges, winter scheduling, adverse weather, congestion and new crew rostering rules had compounded the situation. IndiGo expects delays to continue for another 48 hours.

India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, has called an urgent meeting with IndiGo officials to examine the issue. IndiGo currently operates more than 2,000 daily flights with a fleet of over 400 aircraft.