India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has directed IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, to reduce its flight schedule by 5 percent amid ongoing operational problems that have severely disrupted travel across the country.
What the DGCA Has Ordered
The DGCA has told IndiGo to cut about 5 percent of its approved flights, which amounts to roughly 115 daily flights being trimmed from its winter schedule.
The reduction will affect high-demand and high-frequency routes, although authorities say they will try to ensure essential connectivity is not badly hit.
IndiGo must now submit a revised flight schedule by Wednesday evening (December 10) to show how it plans to operate with fewer flights.
Why the Cut Was Ordered
The regulator’s decision follows weeks of widespread flight cancellations and operational chaos at IndiGo. IndiGo had received approval from the DGCA to operate 15,014 weekly departures under its winter schedule, but it was unable to run many of these flights efficiently.
According to operational data, IndiGo operated only about 59,438 flights in November, out of around 64,346 approved for the month, leaving nearly 5,000 flights short and with hundreds of cancellations.
Operational Problems Behind the Decision
IndiGo had increased its flight departures for the winter season, but it struggled to operate many of them because of issues including:
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Difficulties adapting to new crew rostering and pilot rest rules
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Fewer aircraft being available than planned
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Technical and scheduling challenges
The DGCA said that although IndiGo increased its departures by roughly 9.7 percent compared to last winter, it had not shown the ability to operate its planned schedule efficiently.
Government and Industry Response
Earlier, the Union Civil Aviation Minister had said the government would act to reduce IndiGo’s flight schedule amid complaints about frequent cancellations and delays.
In its show-cause reply to the DGCA, IndiGo apologised and said the disruptions were caused by a mix of factors including winter schedule changes, technical issues, weather and the new crew rules.
What This Means for Passengers
Cutting 5 percent of flights could help make IndiGo’s operations more reliable, but it may also affect travel plans for passengers who had hoped to fly on routes facing reductions.
Officials say they will try to reduce flights in a way that avoids cutting essential connections.
Looking Ahead
As part of the regulator’s oversight, the DGCA will review IndiGo’s revised schedule to check whether the airline can operate safely and on time.
If the airline fails to improve its on-ground performance, further steps or more cuts could be considered.
IndiGo’s operational troubles have drawn criticism from passengers and increased pressure on the airline to stabilise its services.