Indigo Crises : What is the issue?

Introduction :

According to OAG data 2022,Indigo was ranked as 15^th most punctual airlines globally with 83.51% OTP(On-Time Performance).

 

But, this is no longer the case. On December 3-4,2025,Indigo cancelled over 200 flights and 100’s were delayed for more than 12 hrs triggering the chaos across major Indian airports.

 

On December 4^th alone, 73 flights were cancelled by the airline at Bengaluru.

 

Background : Indigo Airlines (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd.)

2005            :           Indigo was founded.

                                 Founders : Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal.

2005            :           Placed it’s first order with Airbus(100 Airbus A320-

                                 200 aircraft).

2006            :           Commenced operations.

2007            :           Expanded fleet and operations.

2009            :           Crossed 10 million passengers and witnessed                      

                                  popularity growth.

2010           :            Overtook Air India and became the 3^rd largest

                                  airline in India(passenger market share).

2011           :            Permitted to start International flights.

2012           :            Carried 50 million cumulative passengers.

2023           :            First airline to carry 100 million passengers in a  

                                  single calendar year.

2024-25      :           65% of market share.Evolution from a domestic

                                  only low cost airline to a broader global player.

 

Reasons for it’s massive growth :

1. Low cost + High quality – in terms of efficiency,cleanliness and service.
2. Punctuality – Helped build reputation faster.
3. Reliance on single aircraft type model – Airbus 320 – brought down maintenance,training and operations cost.
4. Aggressive network – Operates 2700 flights daily flights to 137 destinations – 94 domestic and 43 international.
5. Minimized ground time – Flies more hours each day than the industry average.
6. Sale and Leaseback model – Buys an aircraft,then sells those aircraft to a leasing company and later on leases the same aircraft back for it’s own operations – minimised large debt.
7. Dominant market share – 63 to 65%
8. Commitment to sustainability – 2024 – Indigo partnered with a Swedish company to install innovative water saving nozzles in it’s aircraft,to reduce water consumption by 98%.
9.  

Issues/Challenges that are being faced by Indigo:

1. Safety issues – 2025 – DGCA(Directorate General of Civil Aviation) found 23 safety related audit findings against Indigo.
2. Regulatory issues – 2025 – DGCA issued a show-cause notice to Indigo for allegedly using non-qualified flight simulators to train pilots.
3. Pilot flying hours and rest schedules have become increasingly hectic.
4. High customer volume led to customer dissatisfaction – rising  negative ratings.
5. High operating costs – Fuel + Taxes – reduced profit margins in turn affecting quality.
6. Intense competition – Entry of many new players in to the aviation industry. Eg ; Vistara,Akasa air

 

Indigo’s Ongoing Crises:

1. Crew shortage – With the coming of new FDTL(Flight Duty Time Limitiations),DGCA defined limits for flight time,rest periods etc for both pilots and cabin crew.

Eg ; Maximum flying hours per day – 8 hours

• Technical glitches – Software updates on the Airbus A320 – coincided with the timing of new duty-hour rules.Since Indigo heavily relies on this single aircraft type,the impact on it’s operations was much greater.
• Season impact – During the winter season,dense fog,low visibility and poor weather conditions – making aircrafts wait for longer periods on the ground or in the air.This,inturn,created chain reaction leading to airport congestion and flight delays.
• Low adaptability – Complexity of Indigo’s route network which is very large made it challenging to reshuffle pilots and cabin crew quickly which was not the case with other airlines making the impact more on Indigo.
• Wide network of night flights – Indigo’s significant proportion of operations occur during night time.A cap on night landings created impact on it’s night flights operations.
• Passenger chaos – 1000’s stranded at airports due to last-minute cancellations and poor communication triggering panic among passengers.

 

Way Forward :

1. Recruiting more crew to minimize shortages.
2. Diversifying fleet dependence – A balanced fleet mix instead of depending on single aircraft type.
3. Crisis response framework – for any sudden disruptions to minimize impact.
4. Increasing transparency – open communication,public explanation builds confidence in the airline.
5. Increasing buffer time between flights helps avoid chain reaction.
6. Enhancing overall preparedness – from maintenance to crew coordination to operations.

 

Conclusion :

The recent disruption faced by Indigo is not due to single factor, but a mix of interconnected operational pressures. This incident serves as an eyeopener not only for Indigo, but for the entire airline industry.

Therefore, the need of the hour is to build flexibility, balance efficiency with resilience aiming to withstand sudden shocks.