IndiGo Shares Dip 2% After Mass Cancellations, Airline Seeks DGCA Relief

India’s largest airline, IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd), saw its share price fall around 2% on the BSE on Friday after a wave of cancellations and operational disruptions the previous day. The stock, which closed at ₹5,437.60 on Thursday, slipped to ₹5,346.40 by 10 a.m. on Friday, with an intraday low of ₹5,341.

The carrier has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for temporary regulatory relief as it grapples with the operational impact of newly introduced pilot duty-hour norms.

IndiGo has requested exemptions from certain night-duty provisions the DGCA implemented in phases to reduce pilot fatigue, including a rule, effective November 1, that limits the number of landings a pilot may perform between midnight and 6 a.m. The DGCA is currently reviewing the airline’s request.

IndiGo Operational Trouble

IndiGo cancelled more than 550 flights on Thursday, a company record, as disruptions entered a third day, leaving thousands of passengers delayed or stranded nationwide. The airline said the cancellations formed part of a planned schedule-stabilisation effort while it addressed acute crew shortages and related operational problems.

IndiGo attributed the turmoil to several converging factors: underestimation of crew requirements after Phase-2 of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules took effect, minor technology glitches, adverse winter weather and heavy airport congestion. The carrier acknowledged it had underestimated the number of pilots and cabin crew needed under tighter rostering limits, which reduced night-time duty windows and squeezed slot availability.

Airline Response & Passenger Remedies

Airports across the country reported mass cancellations and long queues at helpdesks. Major hubs, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, recorded large numbers of affected flights. IndiGo’s on-time performance tumbled to about 19.7% on Wednesday, a sharp decline from earlier in the week and a notable erosion of a key operational metric the carrier has long promoted.

IndiGo apologised to customers, saying it implemented pre-planned cancellations to stabilise the network. The airline is offering rebooking or refunds to affected passengers and is urging travellers to check live flight status before traveling to airports. As part of immediate mitigation, the carrier temporarily eased some night-duty and night-landing caps while it works on longer-term roster changes.