IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Friday post a video statement through social media that the airline expects to cancel fewer than 1,000 flights on Saturday, assuring passengers that flight operations should gradually return to normal between December 10 and 15.
His statement came as IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights—over half of its daily operations—triggering nationwide disruptions linked to gaps in planning for the rollout of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.
IndiGo CEO Issues Apology, Confirms System ‘Reboot’
“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,” Elbers said in a video message.
In a detailed video message, Elbers apologised for the inconvenience caused and admitted that earlier corrective measures were insufficient. “We decided today for a reboot of all our systems and schedules, resulting in the highest number of cancellations so far, but imperative for progressive improvements starting tomorrow onwards,” he said.
He also acknowledged the support of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), noting that temporary relief in the implementation of FDTL rules has been “extremely helpful.”
The DGCA has put the new FDTL norms on hold after lapses in the second phase of implementation caused widespread operational disruption. IndiGo, which typically operates around 2,300 flights daily, has drastically reduced its services during the crisis.
Government Expects Flights to Stabilise Within Three Days
The government has stated that flight schedules are expected to stabilise starting Saturday and fully normalise within the next three days. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the suspension of the new FDTL guidelines was taken “solely in the interest of passengers,” and confirmed that a high-level investigation has been ordered to identify system failures and fix accountability.
Airlines have been directed to issue automatic refunds for cancelled flights and arrange hotel accommodations for stranded passengers.
The crisis has now persisted for four days, affecting major airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. On Thursday, IndiGo’s on-time performance dropped sharply to 8.5 per cent. The airline stated that Friday would witness the peak of cancellations as it resets its schedules to “start stronger tomorrow.”
