IndiGo Flight Cancellations Amid Controversial Regulatory Relaxations

IndiGo cancels over 200 flights after securing temporary relaxations on flight duty norms. The airline faced criticism for prioritizing ease over safety, with over 1,000 cancellations a day before. Regulatory changes spurred controversy among pilot associations and highlighted ongoing tensions in aviation regulations.

IndiGo, India's largest domestic carrier, canceled more than 200 flights from Delhi and Mumbai following a temporary relaxation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew. This decision comes on the heels of a chaotic Friday where the airline scrapped over 1,000 flights, leading to an apology from CEO Pieter Elbers.

Despite the regulatory reprieve granted by the DGCA, which eased night duty definitions and relaxed landing norms, the pilot association ALPA India condemned the reliefs, arguing that they compromised safety and eroded regulatory parity. The association pushed for the enforcement of stringent fatigue-mitigation standards, criticizing the temporary abeyance of the revised FDTL CAR implementation.

The aviation crisis underscores significant regulatory tensions, as IndiGo, initially resistant to the new norms, faced scrutiny for prioritizing operational convenience over passenger safety. The contentious rollout of the new rules, partially enforced after prolonged delays, remains a point of contention between airlines and regulatory bodies.

(With inputs from agencies.)