New Delhi/Mumbai, Dec 6: Domestic carrier IndiGo cancelled more than 200 flights from Delhi airport and Mumbai airport on Saturday, a day after securing temporary relaxations in new court-mandated duty-and-rest norms for cockpit crew, according to officials familiar with the matter.
The officials said 106 flights were cancelled in Delhi — 54 departures and 52 arrivals — while 109 flights were cancelled in Mumbai, covering 51 arrivals and 58 departures.
The Saturday disruptions came less than 24 hours after the airline scrapped over 1,000 flights nationwide on Friday, triggering massive travel delays across major airports. In a video message released late Friday, IndiGo chief executive Pieter Elbers apologised for the turmoil caused to passengers.
“I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience these cancellations have created,” Elbers said, adding that the airline expected the number of affected flights on Saturday to be “significantly lower than Friday.”
The carrier is attempting to stabilise operations after days of turbulence sparked by the rollout of stricter flight duty time limitations for pilots. On Friday, the aviation regulator DGCA granted temporary relief by reverting the night-duty definition to 12 a.m.–5 a.m. from 12 a.m.–6 a.m., and permitting pilots to perform six night landings, up from two.
The relaxations were issued as the airline, partly owned by Rahul Bhatia, grappled with a mounting operational crunch that had already grounded hundreds of flights since mid-week.
