The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has cut IndiGo’s flights by 5%. The move comes after widespread disruptions on the part of IndiGo that led to over 4,000 flight cancellations in the past week. Today it also saw more than 100 flight cancellations.
Office of the Director General of Civil Aviation on Monday issued a notice that said, “IndiGo has not demonstrated the ability to operate its schedules efficiently. It is directed to reduce the schedule by 5% across sectors. IndiGo is required to submit a revised schedule by 5 pm on 10th December.” What it mean for the airline? How many schedules of IndiGo will be affected?
How many schedules of IndiGo will be affected?
When the DGCA says that it will cut IndiGo’s flights by 5%, it means that, in about 2,300 daily flights of IndiGo, 115 flights will be reduced by the regulator. There are also reports that a decision on a further 5% cut may be taken in the coming days, depending on the level of daily flights at which the airline is able to operate as per schedule.
IndiGo’s chaos began from a mismatch between its expanded winter schedule and DGCA’s new crew duty regulations. The carrier had an approved summer schedule of 14,158 weekly domestic flights, which was increased by 6% to 15,014 in the winter schedule, effective October 26. The new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) that increased pilot requirements came into effect from November 1- this is supposed to have triggered all the disruptions, including cancellations and deviations. The airline failed to gear up for this major change, even as the flights increased during the winter schedule.
How will it impact IndiGo?
For India’s largest airline, which holds about 60% market share, this 5% cut represents a significant setback during the peak winter travel season. If we consider the estimated daily revenue hit, it will be of ₹20-30 crore- This is exclusively from reduced flights. However, IndiGo’s business structure is designed to handle financial shocks like this. Due to cancellations and diversions, the airline had to initiate refunds exceeding ₹569 crore for December 1-7 alone. This could be a major hit for the largest airline in the long term. It could pressure profitability amid rising fuel costs and competition.
Impact on Passengers
- Fewer Flight Options and Higher Fares: Popular routes like Delhi‑Bengaluru and Mumbai‑Hyderabad may see 10‑20% fare increases, especially during holidays, with longer waits for alternative flights
- Ongoing Cancellations and Delays: IndiGo says its network is “fully restored,” following disruptions. However, the real-time report as of December 12 indicates that the airline is finding ways to sort this out.
- Compensation and Rights: Passengers are entitled to compensation under DGCA rules.
What happened in November?
IndiGo was forced to comply with the FDTL, which caused major disruptions due to inadequate staff. However, it has to be noted that Air India and AI Express reduced their weekly domestic schedules by 0.8% and 6% respectively, from summer to winter. The step was taken to comply with and cope with the FDTL rule and avoid chaos, like that which IndiGo created. , avoiding similar chaos. This has raised questions about why aviation authorities permitted IndiGo to expand without verifying crew availability under the new FDTL rules.
