Dhaka: IndiGo cancelled more than 150 flights on Wednesday (Dec 3), sparking chaotic scenes at major airports nationwide as the carrier struggled to cope with new crew rostering rules and cascading operational disruptions.

The airline apologised and warned of further cancellations through Friday, saying it was making “calibrated adjustments” to stabilise operations within 48 hours.

IndiGo said a combination of technology glitches, adverse weather, congestion and the rollout of updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) drove the disruption.

An emergency Airbus A320 software patch issued over the weekend further strained crew schedules. DGCA data shows IndiGo had already cancelled 1,232 flights in November, 755 due to FDTL, with on-time performance dropping to 67.7pc from 84.1pc in October.

Baggage system issues at Delhi’s Terminal 1 and 3 compounded the chaos, while passengers across Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai reported last-minute cancellations and missing connections. On Tuesday, IndiGo’s on-time performance fell to 35%.

The crisis exposed vulnerabilities in the airline’s single-type Airbus A320-family fleet, which required urgent software updates on 200 of 366 operational aircraft. Rivals with more diverse fleets faced less impact.

The DGCA has summoned IndiGo for an explanation. The airline said teams were working to assist stranded passengers and restore schedules.

-B