'IndiGo ignored crew rest rules, created chaos': Experts claim airline triggered crisis by overstretching fleet

IndiGo's flight operations are steadily resuming and getting back to normalcy after 3 days of utter chaos due to widespread cancellations and delays at major airports across the country, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Friday saw the highest number of flight cancellations, with 1,000, on top of more than 550 on Thursday.  IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers expressed hope that normalcy would be restored by December 15. 

Even though the airline's flight operations are slowly returning to normalcy, the question remains: who is responsible for the chaotic scenes that unfolded at airports across India? According to experts, the airline is to blame for not planning for the peak commuting season, in line with the FDTL rules. 

Aviation expert Subhash Goyal has blamed IndiGo for the widespread flight cancellations, saying the airline ignored safety regulations and expanded operations without hiring enough crew.

Goyal said pilots had long pushed for more rest hours in line with global norms, prompting the DGCA to issue new rules after court orders. “All airlines were instructed more than a year ago to recruit more pilots and staff,” he told news agency ANI, adding that other airlines such as Akasa, SpiceJet, Air India and Air India Express complied.

“However, IndiGo not only disobeyed the regulations, but also expanded its international route network and increased domestic flights without increasing crew and pilots. As a result, when the government wanted to enforce the policy deadline, IndiGo, instead of reducing some of its flights, grounded most of its flights... It created complete chaos,” he added.

He added that when the time came to enforce the new rest policy, the airline responded by grounding most of its flights instead of trimming schedules. “As a result, when the government wanted to enforce the policy deadline, IndiGo, instead of reducing some of its flights, grounded most of its flights… It created complete chaos,” Goyal said.

Another aviation expert, Harsh Vardhan, also blamed the airline management for operational disruptions, leading to severe delays and congestion at major airports. He said that IndiGo's management should have taken proactive measures for the peak tourist, wedding and business season, as the FDTL policy was finalised around a year ago. 

"IndiGo's explanation is that because the government enforced a new flight and duty time limitation policy so this has suddenly caused problems. This is a management failure. Management should have taken proactive steps because the government policy didn't come about in 24 hours. It was deliberate for years. Then a year ago, the policy was finalised," Harsh Vardhan said.