As IndiGo’s operational crisis in India entered its seventh day on Monday, flights between the UAE and India began slowly stabilising after a turbulent weekend that left several travellers stranded for more than 10 hours.

While many services finally operated on time, delays ranging from 15 minutes to nearly 10 hours continued to affect some routes, keeping passengers on edge.

On Sunday, the Ras Al Khaimah–Hyderabad flight departed on schedule at 2.30am, as did the Sharjah–Lucknow service. The Dubai–Chennai flight was also set to operate on time.

However, disruptions persisted in a few sectors. The Dubai–Mumbai flight was delayed by 15 minutes, while the worst-hit remained the Dubai–Kozhikode service, which departed nearly 10 hours late from its scheduled 3.20am take-off. The Delhi–Dubai flight (6E 1463) also left 17 minutes behind schedule.

In a social media advisory, the Delhi Airport Authority said operations were “steadily resuming and getting back to normal”, but warned that some IndiGo flights were still affected. Passengers were urged to check their flight status with the airline before heading to the airport.

What triggered the chaos?

The disruptions began last Tuesday after India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), started enforcing new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). Under the rules, pilots must get 48 hours of rest every week and are now limited to just two night landings per week, down from six earlier.

Although the regulations were introduced in 2024 to address growing concerns over pilot fatigue and give airlines time to boost staffing, their sudden enforcement triggered widespread disruption, hitting IndiGo operations the hardest.

On Friday, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation temporarily put the new rules on hold, saying passenger safety would remain the top priority. The government also stepped in to cap airfares after ticket prices spiked during the chaos.

Meanwhile, the DGCA issued show-cause notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras over the large-scale disruptions. The regulator has granted them a one-time 24-hour extension to respond, with a final reply expected by Monday evening. No further extension is likely.

India’s civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the crisis stemmed from “problems in IndiGo’s crew rostering and internal planning system”.

For now, while services are gradually stabilising, passengers are being advised to stay alert and double-check flight schedules before travelling.

Source: GN, Indian Express