Crisis at IndiGo deepens

We could not live up to the promise, says CEO Pieter Elbers

- NITIN KUMAR

WITH THE CRISIS at IndiGo showing no signs of abating and the airline cancelling more than 300 flights on Thursday, the carrier is scrambling to put in place interim measures as acute crew shortage, due to new duty-time rules, stretches its operations to breaking point. Sources said that the airline is likely to make some planned cancellations to restore normalcy in its operations.

The disruptions, which is the worst in recent years for the carrier, escalated sharply after over 200 cancellations on Wednesday, sending IndiGo’s on-time performance at six major airports plunging to 19.7%, far below competitors such as Air India, which remained near 67%. IndiGo typically operates around 2,300 flights a day. The company's shares fell 2.25% on BSE to close at ₹5,466.55.

According to industry sources, the core trigger is the rollout of the second phase of the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms from November 1, for which the airline did not adequately prepare.