Thousands of passengers are stranded at Indian airports after a serious operational crisis for IndiGo, caused by new rules for pilots and their night flights.
Thousands of passengers were stranded at Indian airports on Friday, when the largest air carrier IndiGo canceled hundreds of domestic flights for the third day in a row, TASR reports, according to a report by DPA.
IndiGo has landed in serious trouble after the introduction of new rules for pilots. They restricted night flights and shortened permitted flight services, which caused the subsequent collapse of air traffic.
IndiGo apologized to passengers on social network X and admitted to a “serious operational crisis”. It said it was working with the aviation ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority (DGCA) to resume regular flights as soon as possible.
On Friday, IndiGo canceled about 1,000 flights, about half of its daily operations. Of these, 250 flights were from the capital New Delhi. Many other flights were delayed up to 12 hours. According to local media, several passengers missed their connecting flights, and therefore the groom, who was heading to his own wedding, missed an important life event.
Temporary suspension of restrictions
In response to the situation, the DGCA has temporarily suspended the new restrictions on flight services with immediate effect in the interest of “especially senior citizens, students, patients and others who rely on on-time travel”, the ministry said.
IndiGo had earlier sought an exemption from the rules, which were being implemented in two phases – July 1 and November 1. The government expects full resumption of air traffic within days and has ordered an investigation into the widespread chaos.
