2025 IndiGo scheduling crisis
| Date | 2–9 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Location | India |
| Type | Flight cancellations |
| Cause | Failure to adjust schedule to new crew worktime and rest rules |
| Perpetrator | IndiGo |
| Outcome | 4,500 flights canceled as of 12 December |
In December 2025, IndiGo, India's largest airline, experienced a scheduling crisis, which led to the cancellation of thousands of flights. The issue arose after its failure to adjust to the new flight crew time limitations mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of the Government of India. The crisis started on 2 December and the airline, which had a domestic market share of more than 60%, cancelled nearly 4,500 flights over the next ten days.
In response, the DGCA relaxed some of the rules, and gave IndiGo a temporary exemption from them till 10 February 2026. It also placed caps on airfares, and ordered IndiGo to complete all pending refunds for the disruption. The Ministry of Civil Aviation ordered an inquiry into the incident, and sent a show cause notice to the airline. During the disruptions, the DGCA kept IndiGo under unusually strict scrutiny, with aviation authorities stationed in airports to monitor customer handling and in IndiGo operations control center for real time monitoring, as well as requiring hourly flight data and weekly operational reports. In the resulting investigation, DGCA imposed a fine of ₹22.2 crore for the incidents, directed IndiGo to a bank guarantee of ₹50 crore to ensure smooth operations as well as to oversee reforms in suggested areas over the period of 15 months, and also warnings to various authorities including terminations of employment for some involved.
On 11 February, following rollback of temporary exemptions placed by DGCA on the airlines, IndiGo was reported to be operating under compliance with the new FDTL rules.