IndiGo shares fall over 10% in 5 sessions: 550 flights cancelled; airline aims for normal operations by Feb 10, seeks FDTL relief

Last seen, the stock was down 2.7% at ₹5,291 on the NSE.

The stock has fallen over 10% in the past five sessions, data show.

What IndiGo said on Thursday

IndiGo on Thursday told aviation watchdog DGCA that operations are expected to be fully stabilised by February 10, 2026, and sought temporary relaxations in flight duty norms on a day when the country's largest airline cancelled more than 550 flights, disrupting the travel plans of hundreds of passengers.

Acknowledging that the flight disruptions happening for the past few days are primarily due to misjudgment and planning gaps in implementing the second phase of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, IndiGo also informed the regulator that there will be more cancellations till December 8, and from that day, there will also be a reduction in services.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu held a high-level review meeting to assess the situation of significant flight disruptions and expressed his displeasure at the way IndiGo handled the new FDTL norms implementation despite having ample time.

A PTI report, which quoted sources, said IndiGo on Thursday cancelled more than 550 domestic and international flights, and services were delayed at various airports.

The airline, which generally operates around 2,300 flights daily and presents its punctuality as a hallmark, recorded an on-time performance of 19.7% on Wednesday, a steep fall from the 35% reported on Tuesday.

The airline has been instructed by the minister to proactively inform passengers of any likely cancellations well in advance, and DGCA will conduct strict real-time monitoring of IndiGo's operations.

With some spikes seen in airfares amid IndiGo flight cancellations, authorities are closely monitoring the situation, and the airline has also been asked to ensure that there is no increase in airfares due to the current disruptions.

FDTL relaxations sought

In a significant development that might not go well with the pilots' community, IndiGo has sought certain exemptions from specific FDTL requirements for A320 plane operations till February 10, 2026, as part of efforts to normalise the operations.

Following the request, DGCA will review the FDTL relaxations sought by the airline.

Briefing the regulator on the crew for its A320 family planes, IndiGo said the availability of captains and first officers is 2,357 and 2,194, respectively, for December.

In November, the requirement of captains was 2,422, and first officers at 2,153; the numbers rose after the implementation of the second phase of the FDTL norms.

In October, the requirements for captains were 2,186 and for first officers, 1,948.

These numbers reflect the shortage of crew, a key factor for the ongoing disruptions, and with the new FDTL reducing the number of night landings per pilot, night operations have also been impacted.

The airline told the regulator that crew requirements exceeded their anticipation and provided data, including projections.

IndiGo has informed the regulator that corrective actions are underway and stable flight operations will be fully restored by February 10, 2026, while more cancellations are expected in the next few days.

The airline will reduce flight operations from December 8 to minimise disruptions, according to a statement issued by DGCA.

The regulator has also asked the airline to submit a detailed roadmap covering projected crew recruitment, viz-a-viz induction of aircraft, plans for crew training, roster restructuring, safety-risk assessments, and mitigation measures.