New Delhi: Domestic carrier IndiGo on Thursday cancelled 67 flights from multiple airports due to forecasted bad weather and limited operational reasons, according to the airline’s website.
Of the cancellations, only four were attributed to operational issues, while the remaining flights were called off due to anticipated weather disruptions at airports including Agartala, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Varanasi and Bengaluru.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has designated December 10 to February 10 as the official fog window this winter. Under CAT-IIIB fog operation norms, airlines are required to deploy pilots trained for low-visibility landings and aircraft equipped with advanced navigation systems.
Category III-A allows landings with a runway visual range of 200 metres, while Category III-B permits landings with visibility below 50 metres.
IndiGo, which is under DGCA scrutiny following widespread cancellations earlier this month, is currently operating a reduced schedule as directed by the government.
While the airline was initially cleared to operate about 2,144 domestic flights per day under its winter schedule, the government later cut this by 10 per cent after disruptions caused by revised pilot rest norms. As a result, IndiGo is now limited to around 1,930 domestic flights daily.
Between December 1 and December 9, the airline cancelled thousands of flights due to crew shortages and inadequate planning for new duty and rest regulations implemented from November 1, affecting lakhs of passengers.
Following the disruptions, the DGCA formed a four-member panel to identify the causes. The committee has questioned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras and is expected to submit its report this week.
In a travel advisory on X, IndiGo said low visibility and fog over Bengaluru had impacted flight schedules. A passenger responding to the post complained of repeated delays while travelling with senior citizen parents and sought compensation.
