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Indigo has told India’s aviation regulator that its operations will be fully restored by February 10, and has asked for relief from some provisions that limit pilot duty hours at night after the airline cancelled hundreds of flights this week due to a shortage of aviators.
Thousands of passengers were stranded again yesterday, the third day of chaos after India’s biggest airline failed to make sufficient changes to its roster planning to accommodate new government regulations.
“The disruptions have arisen primarily from misjudgment and planning gaps in implementing Phase 2 of the (Flight Duty Time Limitations), with the airline accepting that the actual crew requirement exceeded their anticipation,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement late on Thursday after a briefing from IndiGo representatives.
Yesterday, 73 flights were cancelled at Bengaluru airport, its spokesperson said. Around 30 were cancelled in Delhi, and 68 in Hyderabad, and 85 IndiGo flight cancellations were planned for Mumbai, according to airport sources. On Wednesday, at least 150 flights were cancelled.
Shares of IndiGo, which commands 60 per cent of the market and has built its reputation on punctuality, fell 3.4pc yesterday and are down 6pc for the week. IndiGo has acknowledged that stricter flight duty time limits have been a factor in the cancellations. It did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.
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