‘IndiGo ignored crew rest rules, created chaos’: Experts claim airline triggered crisis by overstretching fleet

IndiGo flight operations are steadily resuming and returning to normal after 3 days of utter chaos due to widespread cancellations and delays at major airports across the country, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Friday saw the highest number of flight cancellations, with 1,000 flights cancelled, in addition to more than 550 flights on Thursday. IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers expressed hope that normalcy would be restored by December 15.

Although the airline’s flight operations are slowly returning to normal, the question remains: Who is responsible for the chaotic scenes that have unfolded at airports across India? According to experts, the airline is to blame for not planning for the peak commuting season, in line with FDTL rules.

Aviation expert Subhash Goyal blamed IndiGo for widespread flight cancellations, saying the airline ignored safety regulations and expanded operations without hiring enough crew.

Goyal said pilots have long been demanding more rest hours in line with global standards, prompting the DGCA to issue new rules following court orders. “All airlines were instructed more than a year ago to hire more pilots and staff,” he told news agency ANI, adding that other airlines such as Acasa, SpiceJet, Air India and Air India Express have complied.

“However, IndiGo not only violated regulations, but also expanded its international route network and increased domestic flights without increasing crew and pilots. As a result, when the government wanted to implement the policy deadline, IndiGo, instead of reducing some of its flights, grounded most of its flights…leading to complete chaos,” he added.

He added that when the time came to implement the new rest policy, the airline responded by suspending most of its flights instead of reducing schedules. “As a result, when the government wanted to implement the policy deadline, IndiGo, instead of reducing some of its flights, grounded most of its flights… creating complete chaos,” Goyal said.

Another aviation expert, Harsh Vardhan, also blamed airline management for the operational disruptions, leading to severe delays and congestion at major airports. He said IndiGo management should have taken proactive measures for the peak tourism, wedding and business season, as the FDTL policy was finalized about a year ago.

“IndiGo’s explanation is that since the government had imposed a new policy to limit flying and working time, this suddenly created problems. This is a management failure. The management should have taken proactive steps as the government’s policy was not achieved within 24 hours. It was deliberate for years. Then a year ago, the policy was finalized,” Harsh Vardhan said.