India: Major Turmoil for Indigo Airlines as Over 1,200 Flights are Canceled

India is facing significant disruption as Indigo Airlines, the country's leading airline, has canceled over 1,200 flights due to unexpected operational issues, prompting an investigation by authorities.

On Wednesday evening, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India announced it was closely monitoring the situation and working with the airline on measures to reduce the cancellations and delays.

According to their count, 1,232 flights were canceled just on Monday and Tuesday. Media reports indicate that disarray persisted into Wednesday and continued on Thursday, highlighting numerous delays and cancellations.

A passenger expressed frustration on X, stating, "Complete chaos at all airports. Delays of 7 to 8 hours and lost luggage. No one to put a ladder on the plane, no one in the buses, nobody to load the bags onto the conveyor belts."

Indigo admitted that their operations had been "significantly disrupted" since Monday due to "minor technical issues, unfavorable weather, traffic congestion, and the implementation of a new crew rotation system."

This last reason appears to be the main cause of their difficulties. The DGCA had indeed published new rules last month that increased the rest time for crews between missions.

Indigo acknowledged, "The implementation of these rules... had an unforeseen negative impact on our operations," which the media interpreted as a shortage of pilots.

The airline has also had to urgently replace a software control system vulnerable to solar radiation on its 200 A320 aircraft, as ordered by Airbus. Approximately 6,000 jets of this type worldwide were affected by this alert.

Air traffic in India has seen explosive growth over the past few years, with November witnessing over 500,000 passengers per day across more than 3,100 domestic flights.