Facing pilot shortage, IndiGo will continue grounding flights
A pilot shortage is continuing to impact services at India’s largest airline IndiGo.
It says it will ground about 30 flights a day for the next few weeks.
Although it accounts for a small percentage of its 1,000-plus flights a day, the budget carrier is struggling to meet staffing obligations.
It blamed severe weather conditions for adding to disruption.
The pre-emptive cancelations could continue until the end of March, it said.
"Extended duty times made it necessary to re-roster our crew," IndiGo said, and it has informed all affected passengers.
IndiGo is reportedly trying a short-term fix by bringing in up to 100 foreign pilots even though expat senior pilots command a 35% premium compared to their Indian colleagues.
It currently employs about 50 foreign senior pilots.
IndiGo has a huge order book of up to 400 new planes scheduled for delivery in the next few years.
The CAPA Centre for Aviation estimates about 17,000 new pilots are needed in India over the next decade to meet projected air travel demand.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Suspension of all regional trains in Catalonia following two new rail accidents in Spain