IndiGo cancelled 60 more flights from Bengaluru as the DGCA tightened oversight and summoned CEO Pieter Elbers to explain the airline’s ongoing operational breakdown.
DGCA teams have been stationed at IndiGo’s headquarters to monitor daily cancellations, crew deployment and staffing gaps as the regulator escalates intervention.
IndiGo Cancels 60 Flights, DGCA Steps In Amid Escalating Flight Cancellations
Despite facing the same external pressures as other carriers, IndiGo’s disruptions have intensified amid shrinking pilot strength and long-criticised manpower planning strategies.
Summary
Crisis-hit IndiGo cancelled 60 flights from Bengaluru Airport on Thursday as the DGCA intensified its scrutiny following widespread disruptions triggered by planning failures linked to the rollout of new pilot and crew duty norms, a source said.
"IndiGo has cancelled 60 flights -- 32 arrivals and 28 departures from Bengaluru Airport," the source said.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has been summoned by the DGCA to present a detailed report—complete with data and updates—on the latest operational breakdowns.
A day earlier, the airline scrapped 220 flights across Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, with Delhi alone accounting for 137 cancellations.
On Wednesday, IndiGo Chairman Vikram Mehta broke his 10-day silence, apologising for the turmoil and attributing the large-scale disruptions to a mix of internal and external "unanticipated" events.
These events, he said, "include minor technical glitches, scheduled changes linked to the start of the Winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system, and implementation of/ and operation under the updated crew rostering rules."
Notably, while other Indian carriers confronted the same set of "unanticipated external events", their services remained mostly unaffected.
IndiGo, however, has seen a significant contraction in pilot numbers—losing 378 pilots in nine months—even though its COO and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras had earlier informed the DGCA that "the overall impact of implementing the proposed changes above (now-implemented FDTL) norms would amount to an approximate 3 per cent increase in crewing requirements."
According to a Parliamentary reply earlier this year, IndiGo had 5,463 pilots as of 20 March 2025. But data shared by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on 8 December shows the number had dropped to 5,085.
Amid continuing cancellations despite the airline’s claims of stabilisation, the DGCA has tightened its grip by deploying personnel at IndiGo’s Gurgaon headquarters. An oversight team of eight senior captains has been set up, with two of them—alongside two government officials—stationed at the airline’s base to track cancellations, crew allocation, unplanned leave and routes affected by shortages.
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These teams are required to file daily reports with the regulator.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) recently argued that while other airlines had adequately prepared for the new duty-time norms, IndiGo’s crisis stemmed from its "prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in flight operations." The body said that despite having a two-year window to prepare for full FDTL implementation, the airline "inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, maintained a pilot pay freeze through cartel-like behaviour, and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices."
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