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India’s busiest airports witnessed significant relief on Friday night as Delhi Airport announced that IndiGo’s operations were “steadily resuming”, following days of severe disruption that culminated in the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights in a single day.
Passengers at major hubs including Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, faced long queues, confusion and mounting delays as the budget carrier struggled with what it described as "multitude of unforeseen operational challenges". These included minor technical issues, weather-related constraints and adjustments linked to the winter schedule.
However, industry observers and subsequent official statements indicated that the principal the cause was the implementation of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) introduced in January 2024 and the airline completely failed in implementing it. Although designed to prevent crew fatigue by regulating pilot working hours, the norms had not been fully applied by the airline.
Also read | IndiGo records around 190 flight cancellations across Delhi and Mumbai today
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) later attributed the large-scale cancellations to IndiGo’s “misjudgment and gap in planning” in enforcing the rules.
Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi issued an advisory noting that operations were gradually improving. "We are glad to update that Indigo flight operations are now steadily resuming and getting back to normalcy following the brief disruption. Please check the status of your booking and flight before leaving from home,” the airport said.
In a video message to customers, IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers acknowledged the scale of the crisis and warned that recovery would take several days. “December 5 was the most severely impacted day, with the number of cancellations well over 1000. I extend our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience it has caused to our customers. It will take some time to return to a full normal situation, which we do anticipate between 10–15 December,” he said.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu was unequivocal in assigning responsibility, blaming IndiGo’s failure to manage crew deployment under the new FDTL rules. He noted that the ministry had engaged with airlines for months ahead of the regulatory change and that other carriers, including Air India and SpiceJet, had adapted without major disruption.
Also read | IndiGo meltdown: SpiceJet rises to the rescue with 30 emergency flights from Delhi and Mumbai
Speaking to ANI, Naidu said the government had temporarily eased compliance requirements for IndiGo to restore normal operations and assist stranded travellers. “However, what has unfolded is due to mismanagement by IndiGo regarding its crew. We have given certain abeyance regarding FDTL norms to IndiGo to ensure normalcy," he said.
With flights beginning to return to schedule, authorities have advised passengers to check for updates before travelling to airports, as residual delays may continue over the weekend.
Passengers at major hubs including Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, faced long queues, confusion and mounting delays as the budget carrier struggled with what it described as "multitude of unforeseen operational challenges". These included minor technical issues, weather-related constraints and adjustments linked to the winter schedule.
However, industry observers and subsequent official statements indicated that the principal the cause was the implementation of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) introduced in January 2024 and the airline completely failed in implementing it. Although designed to prevent crew fatigue by regulating pilot working hours, the norms had not been fully applied by the airline.
Also read | IndiGo records around 190 flight cancellations across Delhi and Mumbai today
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) later attributed the large-scale cancellations to IndiGo’s “misjudgment and gap in planning” in enforcing the rules.
Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi issued an advisory noting that operations were gradually improving. "We are glad to update that Indigo flight operations are now steadily resuming and getting back to normalcy following the brief disruption. Please check the status of your booking and flight before leaving from home,” the airport said.
Passenger
Advisory issued at 10:15 Hours#DelhiAirport #PassengerAdvisory #DELAdvisory pic.twitter.com/jSLOf0Aifl
— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) December 6, 2025
In a video message to customers, IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers acknowledged the scale of the crisis and warned that recovery would take several days. “December 5 was the most severely impacted day, with the number of cancellations well over 1000. I extend our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience it has caused to our customers. It will take some time to return to a full normal situation, which we do anticipate between 10–15 December,” he said.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu was unequivocal in assigning responsibility, blaming IndiGo’s failure to manage crew deployment under the new FDTL rules. He noted that the ministry had engaged with airlines for months ahead of the regulatory change and that other carriers, including Air India and SpiceJet, had adapted without major disruption.
Also read | IndiGo meltdown: SpiceJet rises to the rescue with 30 emergency flights from Delhi and Mumbai
Speaking to ANI, Naidu said the government had temporarily eased compliance requirements for IndiGo to restore normal operations and assist stranded travellers. “However, what has unfolded is due to mismanagement by IndiGo regarding its crew. We have given certain abeyance regarding FDTL norms to IndiGo to ensure normalcy," he said.
With flights beginning to return to schedule, authorities have advised passengers to check for updates before travelling to airports, as residual delays may continue over the weekend.
