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IndiGo faced major operational turbulence on Wednesday as widespread disruptions led to flight cancellations across several major airports, including at least 38 from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) between Tuesday midnight and Wednesday evening. The airline blamed a combination of technical glitches, winter-related schedule revisions, adverse weather and updated Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules for the cascading knock-on effect. IndiGo said the situation had escalated beyond what could have been anticipated and confirmed that it will implement adjusted schedules for the next 48 hours to stabilise operations and recover punctuality.

IndiGo Admits “Significant Disruption”

In an official statement, an IndiGo spokesperson said: “We acknowledge that IndiGo’s operations have been significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days, and we sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused.”

The spokesperson cited “a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges including minor technology glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations)”- all of which had a “negative compounding impact… that was not feasible to be anticipated.”

To manage the crisis, IndiGo said it has made calibrated adjustments to its schedules, which will continue for the next 48 hours to help “normalise operations and progressively recover punctuality across the network.” The airline added that its teams are “working around the clock” to reduce passenger discomfort.

Passengers affected by cancellations are being offered alternate flights or full refunds, as applicable. IndiGo has urged travellers to check their latest flight status at its official website before heading to the airport.

What Led To The Large-Scale Delays?

According to the airline, delays and cancellations stemmed from:

• Minor technical glitches
• Winter season schedule adjustments
• Poor weather conditions
• Increased congestion in the aviation system
• New FDTL crew roster rules

IndiGo said these combined factors had a greater impact than anticipated, severely straining operations.

Airport-Wise Breakdown Of Cancellations

• Delhi Airport (IGIA): 38 flights cancelled - both domestic and international
• Hyderabad Airport: 14 cancellations on Tuesday, 19 on Wednesday
• Bengaluru Airport: 42 flights cancelled
• Mumbai Airport: 32 flights cancelled

IndiGo said the current measures will help restore stability across the network and bring on-time performance back to normal levels gradually.