Domestic carrier IndiGo cancelled 67 flights on Thursday across several airports as widespread fog and poor visibility disrupted operations nationwide. According to the airline's website, only four flights were grounded due to operational reasons while the remaining cancellations were triggered by forecasted bad weather at airports such as Agartala, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Varanasi and Bengaluru. The disruptions come during the DGCA's officially declared fog window that runs from December 10 to February 10.
Stricter fog norms and impact on Airline operations
As per DGCA's fog operations guidelines under CAT IIIB, airlines are required to allocate pilots trained for low visibility flying and deploy aircraft that meet CAT IIIB standards. Category III is an advanced landing system designed for harsh fog conditions. Category III A allows aircraft to land with a runway visual range of 200 metres, while Category III B permits landings with visibility below 50 metres. IndiGo is currently operating under a curtailed schedule due to DGCA monitoring after massive operational disruptions earlier this month. Its original winter schedule had allowed 15,014 domestic flights per week, about 2,144 flights per day. This was six per cent higher than its previous summer schedule.
Govt cuts IndiGo's winter schedule by 10%
Following widespread chaos caused by the implementation of new pilot rest rules, IndiGo was forced to cancel nearly 1,600 flights in a single day in early December. In response, the government slashed the airline's domestic schedule by 10 per cent, restricting it to 1,930 flights per day for the remainder of the winter season. The cancellations between December 1 and 9 were linked to poor planning and crew shortages as the airline struggled to comply with updated regulations governing pilot duty hours and rest requirements. The disruptions left lakhs of passengers stranded or significantly delayed.
DGCA panel probing IndiGo's operational lapses
Taking note of the crisis, the DGCA formed a four-member panel comprising senior officials including Joint DG Sanjay Brahamane and Deputy DG Amit Gupta. The team has already questioned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras as part of its investigation into the root causes of the airline's breakdown. The committee is expected to submit its report by the end of this week.
Passengers voice frustration as delays continue
IndiGo issued a fresh advisory on X, stating, "Low visibility and fog over Bangalore has impacted flight schedule. We are keeping a close watch on the weather and doing our best where you need to be safely, smoothly". Passengers, however, continued to express frustration. One traveller wrote, "My flight on December 20 from Bhubaneswar to Ahmedabad got delayed for more than five hours, and today my return flight from Ahmedabad to Bhubaneswar also got delayed more than three hours with the same excuse as bad weather. I am travelling with my senior citizen parents, and this delay is not acceptable. Need proper explanation, along with compensation".
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