India's largest airline, IndiGo, has cancelled over 1,000 flights in early December 2025, stranding thousands of passengers across the country. The widespread disruptions stem primarily from new government-mandated pilot rest regulations, compounded by ongoing issues with Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines and other operational challenges. IndiGo's Chief Executive Officer, Pieter Elbers, publicly apologized for the extensive delays and cancellations.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]} ### New Pilot Rest Rules Trigger Chaos The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) introduced revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules, with full enforcement by November 1, 2025. These new regulations significantly increase mandatory rest periods for pilots and impose stricter limits on flying hours, particularly during night operations. Under the updated norms, pilots must receive 48 hours of weekly rest, up from 36 hours.^{[10][5][11][7][12]} The night duty window has also been extended, and pilots are now limited to just two night landings per week, a sharp reduction from the previous six.^{[10][5][7][12]} IndiGo, which operates a high-frequency network with many late-night and early-morning flights, was particularly vulnerable to these changes. The airline, with approximately 5,500 pilots, reportedly needs over 1,100 additional pilots, including more than 200 first officers, to maintain its schedule under the new rules.^[4] Aviation industry insiders and pilot associations blame IndiGo's "lean manpower strategy" and a "prolonged hiring freeze" for its unpreparedness.^{[4][11][13][14]} They noted that the airline had 18 months to prepare for the FDTL implementation, which was phased in starting July 2025 and fully by November 2025.^{[10][11][15][12]} ### Persistent Engine Problems Add Strain Beyond the new pilot rules, IndiGo continues to grapple with long-standing issues concerning Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines on its Airbus A320neo fleet. P&W identified defects in the powder metal used to manufacture critical engine components, necessitating accelerated inspections and grounding a significant number of aircraft.^{[16][17][18][19]} In November 2023, 49 of IndiGo's 176 A320neo aircraft were grounded due to these engine problems.^[16] IndiGo anticipated grounding more than 30 additional aircraft in early 2024 for these inspections.^[20][21][19] By September 2024, approximately 75 IndiGo aircraft, representing 20 percent of its total fleet, were grounded because of P&W engine issues.^[18] The airline has been gradually phasing out P&W-powered planes and is shifting towards CFM engines for future orders to mitigate these challenges.^[17] Additionally, a new issue emerged in November 2025, with Airbus restricting operations for some PW1100 GTF engines in freezing conditions due to fan blade icing, though this is expected to have less impact in India's warmer climate.^[22] ### Broader Operational Headwinds Several other factors have compounded IndiGo's operational crisis. The airline cited minor technology glitches, schedule changes related to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, and increased congestion within the aviation system as contributing to the disruptions.^{[1][10][5][9]} An Airbus A320 software advisory also triggered weekend delays, pushing flights past midnight and exacerbating the impact of the new FDTL rules.^[4][5][7] On December 4, 2025, IndiGo cancelled 550 flights, with over 400 more cancelled the following day.^[2] December 5 was the most severely impacted day, seeing over 1,000 cancellations.^[3][6] Major hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad experienced significant disruption, with hundreds of flights affected at each airport.^{[2][23][3][8]} ### Regulatory Response and Path Forward In response to the escalating crisis, the DGCA temporarily relaxed some FDTL rules for IndiGo until February 10, 2026. This exemption allows the airline more flexibility, including an increased number of night landings and adjusted definitions for weekly rest periods.^{[23][3][5][6][24][7]} However, the Civil Aviation Ministry intervened, capping airfares to prevent price gouging and ordering IndiGo to process all passenger refunds by December 7, 2025.^[23][8] The DGCA has also launched a probe into the airline's disruptions, with a committee tasked to submit findings and recommendations within 15 days.^{[2][23][3][6][24][9][25]} IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers stated the airline expects operations to normalize between December 10 and 15, 2025, with full stability targeted by February 10, 2026.^{[2][23][3][5][6][24]} The airline is implementing flight frequency cuts over the coming days to manage the situation.^[2][5] Pilot associations, however, criticized the DGCA for granting "unsafe dispensations" to IndiGo, arguing that such relaxations compromise safety standards.^[14]

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