After nearly a week of nationwide flight cancellations and delays, IndiGo announced on Sunday that it has restored more than 95% of its network. The airline said it expects to operate over 1,500 flights by the end of the day, reconnecting 135 out of 138 destinations.

Operations Recover After “Reboot”

On Saturday, IndiGo had sharply reduced its schedule to around 700 flights—less than half of its daily average. The airline described the move as a planned “reboot” aimed at resetting crew rosters and stabilising systems after days of disruption that left thousands of passengers stranded across airports.

In a statement, IndiGo said operations are “largely stabilising” but acknowledged it still has “a long way to go” before full normalcy returns. The airline thanked its staff, passengers and government agencies for their support during the crisis.

Political and Regulatory Pressure Intensifies

Even as IndiGo worked to recover, the aviation regulator DGCA issued show cause notices to CEO Pieter Elbers and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras, citing major lapses in planning, oversight and resource management. Both executives have been asked to respond within 24 hours.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram criticised the airline and the government, calling the meltdown a “massive failure” by IndiGo management, the Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA. He said authorities did not help airlines transition smoothly to the revised pilot duty-time rules introduced in January 2024.

Government Reviews the Crisis

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu held a detailed review meeting with IndiGo’s leadership on Saturday. Officials said that corrective action will be taken once the enquiry committee submits its findings on what triggered the disruptions and how the new duty-time regulations were handled.

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