IndiGo flight cancellations: Airlines poised to absorb 110 daily flights

India’s aviation ministry is poised to slash IndiGo’s domestic flight schedule by 5% — about 110 daily flights — redistributing slots to competitors amid a crippling crisis that grounded over 2,000 flights since early December 2025, local media reported.

This move targets IndiGo’s 61% market dominance, blamed for exacerbating nationwide delays during peak holiday and wedding season, according to Times of India.

New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL Phase II), enforced on November 1 after two years’ notice, capped pilot hours and mandated 48-hour weekly rest.

This caught IndiGo off-guard due to lean staffing, hiring delays, and razor-thin crew buffers. 

On December 5, over 1,000 flights — half its schedule — were axed in a “network reboot” to reposition crew and aircraft, stranding thousands at airports like Delhi amid protests and chaos.

On December 3 (Wednesday) alone, Indigo reported up to 300 flight cancellations, sending its on-time performance (OTP) plunging.

All told, pilot shortages and FDTL compliance challenges have led to over 2,000 cancellations, leading to missed weddings, medications, exams and connecting flights, as public anger mounts. 

Compounding factors included winter fog, airport congestion, A320 software glitches, and ATC failures.

Yes, partially: India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) plans proportional cuts based on IndiGo’s crew shortages, freeing slots for airlines with capacity to absorb demand and ease congestion.

Temporary exemptions on night duties aided recovery, but pilots’ unions slammed IndiGo’s “short-sighted planning” while rivals adapted swiftly. 

A four-member probe eyes penalties, executive actions, and further 5% cuts if disruptions persist, according to Economic Times.

Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air top considerations, with capacity to ramp up; Air India is reportedly lobbying aggressively.

These carriers have demonstrated fleet growth, active expansion plans, and immediate responses to the ongoing disruptions, positioning them to fill the gap amid peak demand, as per Business Standard.

While IndiGo submitted its response, enforcement looms as passenger fury mounts. 

Reuters reported that operations show “partial recovery” with waivers, hotels, and buses for stranded flyers, yet full normalcy hinges on hiring and winter schedule tweaks.  

The Air India Group, comprising Air India and Air India Express, is actively increasing capacity to support passengers affected by ongoing IndiGo flight disruptions. 

Since December 4, 2025, both Air India and Air India Express have implemented caps on economy class fares for non-stop domestic routes, overriding standard revenue management systems to stabilise pricing during peak demand.

Some Indian lawmakers have accused IndiGo "intentional" flight disruptions on a massive scale, despite the two-year heads up given by DGCA, and called on the government to take punitive action against the airline.

This measure follows the Indian government's announcement of airfare caps in response to the crisis. 

Air India emphasised that while comprehensive fare caps across all flight permutations are not technically feasible, the focus remains on facilitating swift travel and baggage delivery for impacted customers.

On Tuesday, IndiGo claimed that it network has been "fully restored, 90% on-time performance".

"Status Update, 8 December 2025, 1,800+ flights operated today, up from 1,650 yesterday, Network fully restored, 90% on-time performance across the network, All cancellations in today’s schedule were pre-notified yesterday," IndiGo stated.