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Bhopal:  Domestic carrier IndiGo has cancelled over 180 flights from three major airports on Thursday, as the Gurugram-based airline struggles to secure the required crew to operate its flights in the wake of new flight-duty and rest-period norms for pilots.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed at Madhya Pradesh airports where more than 11 IndiGo flights have been cancelled. The terminal manager at Indore Airport stated that 4-5 flights to and from Indore have been cancelled due to crew issues and some flights are also running late.

Further reports revealed that two flights were cancelled from Bhopal's Raja Bhoj Airport. Airport Director Ramji Awasthi explained, “There’s only one flight, but two sectors—Hyderabad-Bhopal-Raipur and Raipur-Bhopal-Hyderabad—have been cancelled.” According to Awasthi, these two sectors typically operate around 9:00 a.m.

Why The Chaos Followed

IndiGo's disruption was mainly due to a shortage of pilots and crew. The reimplementation of FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limit) norms and reduced crew availability led to flight cancellations and rescheduling, affecting IndiGo operations not only in Bengaluru but across the country.

While IndiGo has not issued any statement on Thursday, the airline, which operates around 2,300 domestic and international flights daily, on Wednesday said a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges have significantly disrupted its operations across the network for the past two days, and apologised to the passengers for the inconvenience. 

In addition, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) reiterated concerns over the ongoing nationwide disruptions, calling for tighter regulatory oversight. In a statement, ALPA India said, "The situation concerning the recent flight cancellations across India, allegedly attributed to pilot shortage due to new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms, raises significant questions about the airline's management, regulatory oversight by the DGCA, and market fairness."