India’s largest air carrier, IndiGo, continues to face a severe operational crisis as flight disruptions enter a third consecutive day. On December 5, 2025, the airline cancelled another 400 flights across major hubs, with around 330 cancelled from Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad alone. This followed more than 550 cancellations the previous day.
Government’s Initiative
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation stated in its notice that the rule stipulating “no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest” is withdrawn with immediate effect. It said the decision was reviewed to ensure continuity and stability of airline operations.
Watch IndiGo Crisis Videos Here
“Need sanitary pad for my daughter,” a visibly angry man could be heard venting at the Indigo crew amid hundreds of flight cancellations leaving passengers, in dire need of basic amenities, stranded for hours. pic.twitter.com/TRlMA27DVS
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) December 5, 2025
Chaos at Bangalore airport due to the awesome service provided by @IndiGo6E airlines. I have suffered so much in the last 48 hours because of Indigo airlines that I will never in my wildest dreams think of taking any domestic flight in future. I wish I was never even born pic.twitter.com/Akx77zpt3L
— Akshay Raina (@AkshayR63044043) December 4, 2025
Root Cause
The chaos stems primarily from the rollout of Phase 2 of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules. Introduced in January 2024 but enforced only recently, these rules mandate 48 hours of weekly rest for crew, limit night landings to two per week per pilot, extend night-duty windows, and cap night-flying hours at eight. When IndiGo expanded its winter schedule on October 26, many pilots were placed on compulsory rest under these rules.
Challenges
The crisis was further aggravated by minor technical glitches, congestion, and weather-related issues. A software advisory for Airbus A320s caused weekend delays, pushing flights past midnight and triggering cascading cancellations once the FDTL rules applied. IndiGo admitted that planning lapses and miscalculations contributed significantly to the operational disruption.
Scale of Impact
IndiGo operates over 2,200 flights daily, nearly double the size of Air India. Even a 10% disruption affects hundreds of flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. On-time performance fell sharply to 19.7% on Wednesday, a steep drop from the airline’s usual industry-leading reliability.
Pilots Blame Management
Pilot unions allege that IndiGo ignored warnings and failed to prepare adequate staffing. A prolonged hiring freeze, lean manpower strategy, pay freezes, and scheduling practices that overlooked the new rest norms contributed to the crisis. The Federation of Indian Pilots claims other airlines managed better and remain largely unaffected.
IndiGo has sought time until February 10, 2026. It has also warned the regulator that cancellations will continue until December 8, with service cuts effective from December 4.
