IndiGo Faces 10% Flight Cuts Till March 2026 After Crew Issues and DGCA Fine
January 20, 2026
IndiGo will reduce its flights by 10%, amounting to nearly 200 fewer daily services, until late March 2026. The decision follows crew planning problems that caused over 5,000 cancellations in late 2025. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a ₹22 crore fine for this. IndiGo told the government it plans to follow new pilot rules starting February 10, after a special exemption ends. Despite having more pilots than needed—2,400 captains against 2,280 required and 2,240 first officers against 2,050 required—the airline still faces operational challenges. The winter schedule runs from October 26, 2025, to March 28, 2026. The DGCA said it monitors IndiGo closely for roster integrity, crew availability, and safety rules compliance. IndiGo canceled 4,280 flights in early December 2025 and 900 in November, affecting 9.5 lakh passengers. The airline refunded ₹827 crore by early December. A DGCA investigation found cancellations were due to overuse of crew and aircraft, poor buffer margins, software issues, and management flaws.
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Tags:
Indigo
Flight cancellations
Dgca
Pilot Norms
Aviation Penalty
Crew Management
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