New Safety Rules Kicked In For All Airlines. Why IndiGo Was Hit The Hardest

Angry outbursts, desperate requests, and helplessness -- chaos is unfolding at IndiGo counters in airports across the country as the airline battles operational issues leading to delays and cancellations for hundreds of flights and airport woes for thousands of fliers.

As fliers take to social media to express their frustration and helplessness, NDTV answers the Frequently Asked Questions on the crisis and how you must prepare for your next flight

What's Behind The Chaos

IndiGo has blamed "a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges" for the situation. These include minor technology glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations).

While most of these factors are not so rare phenomena, the last is the big one. In January 2024, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the national aviation regulator, made sweeping changes to regulations for passenger aircraft. The new rules focused on providing pilots and crew with adequate rest to enhance passenger safety.

Key highlights of these new rules are: extended weekly rest periods for flight crew, a changed definition of night, extending it by an hour, and a cap on maximum flight duty periods and the number of night landings. For example, night shifts for pilots and crew were reduced to just twice in a roster period, as compared to six earlier.

As the new regulations kicked in, a lot of crew members could no longer be on duty as per the airlines' earlier schedules. This led to roster chaos and cancellations, and delays.

Why Was IndiGo Worst-Hit

One reason why IndiGo has been hit so hard by the new regulations kicking in is the sheer size of its operations. According to its website, IndiGo operates over 2,200 domestic and international flights daily. This is about twice the number of flights Air India operates in a day. With such a massive scale, even 10-20 per cent of delayed or cancelled flights effectively means 200-400 flights and an ordeal for thousands of passengers.

Another key factor is that IndiGo positions itself as a low-cost airline and has traditionally relied on high-frequency overnight operations, maximising flight hours and minimising downtime. All of these are at odds with the DGCA's new regulations, leading to the chaos.

READ: "'IndiGo Standard Time' Now Linked To Delays": Pilots Body Jabs Airline

The Airline Pilots' Association of India also said that airlines got nearly a two-hour window to implement DGCA's new regulations. "Despite sufficient time being accorded, most airlines started preparing rather late, failing to properly adjust crew rosters, 15 days in advance as required. This suggests an initial managerial underestimation or delay in the strategic planning necessary to provision crew accordingly. While the new norms mandate increased rest periods and other restrictions to combat pilot fatigue, this does not necessarily increase the total number of pilots needed to maintain a schedule," it said.

Another body, the Federation of Indian Pilots, said in a letter to DGCA that "the current disruption is the direct consequence of IndiGo's prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in-flight operations".

How Many Flights Affected, When Will This Be Better

Over the past 48 hours, over 300 flights have been cancelled. About 100 flights are likely to be cancelled today. Out of these, 33 could be from and to Hyderabad. Bengaluru might see over 70 cancellations. Several fliers have taken to social media to share their airport woes. "We have been at Hyderabad Airport from yesterday at 6:00 PM until today at 9:00 am - over 12 hours - with no action taken by IndiGo regarding the Pune flight. This situation has caused significant inconvenience," one person said in a post today.

READ: IndiGo Faces Backlash From Passengers Amid Flight Cancellations: 'Get Your Act Together'

Another flyer accused the airline of misleading the passengers. "Total chaos at Hyderabad airport today - flights delayed 12+ hours. To not give accommodation, they kept pushing it by 'just 2 more hours' every single time for 12 hours. Same excuse: crew is coming soon. Unacceptable."

IndiGo has assured that its operations will be normalised over the next 48 hours as it has initiated "calibrated adjustments" to contain disruption. "Our teams are working around the clock to ease customer discomfort and ensure operations stabilise as quickly as possible," it said in a statement, while apologising to passengers for their woes.

How To Prepare For Your Next Flight

If your next flight is with IndiGo, it would be a good idea to keep checking flight status before leaving for the airport. Also, try to reach the airport well in time as the queues could be longer due to chaos.

Pack snacks, water and regular medicines, just in case your flight is cancelled and you end up spending hours at the airport: this is especially important if you are flying with family, including children and senior citizens.

If you have booked the tickets after selecting flexibility options such as date change or free cancellation, you may consider opting for them. If you have not booked the tickets yet and are planning to, you should consider choosing refundable plans or alternate flights to account for last-minute cancellations.

Lastly, keep tracking IndiGo's social media handles for any announcements and reach out to the customer care for queries regarding rescheduling and refunds.

What Needs To Change

The Federation of Indian Pilots have flagged that IndiGo unexplicably enforced a "hiring freeze" despite being aware of the impact of the new DGCA rules. "All other airlines have provisioned pilots adequately and remain largely unaffected due to timely planning and preparation. The current disruption is the direct consequence of IndiGo's prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in-flight operations," the federation wrote in its letter to DGCA. The pilots' body said that "despite the two-year preparatory window before full FDTL implementation, the airline inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, maintained a pilot pay freeze through cartel-like behavior, and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices."

It urged the DGCA to approve seasonal flight schedules only after airlines prove they have adequate pilot strength under the new FDTL norms.

Airline Pilots' Association of India mentioned another possibility. "Aviation experts have suggested that the resulting delays and cancellations across airlines could be an "immature pressure tactic" to arm-twist the regulator for further relaxations or dispensations in the new FDTL norms, thereby compromising the original, stricter safety intent," it said, warning that granting unwarranted exemptions to FDTL would compromise passenger and crew safety, as the entire purpose of the new norms is to reduce pilot fatigue. "Any relaxation granted should be based on scientific assessment and adequate risk mitigation," it said.

ALPA, too, urged the DGCA to actively consider the adequacy of pilots available with an airline while granting slots and approving their schedules.