IndiGo flight operations are steadily resuming and returning to normal after 3 days of total chaos due to widespread cancellations and delays at major airports across the country including Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Friday saw the highest number of flight cancellations, with 1,000, on top of more than 550 on Thursday. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers expressed hope that normalcy would be restored by December 15.

While the airline’s flight operations are slowly returning to normal, the question remains: Who is responsible for the chaotic scenes that unfolded at airports in India? According to experts, the airline is to blame for not planning for the peak travel season, in accordance with FDTL rules.

Aviation expert Subhash Goyal has blamed IndiGo for the widespread flight cancellations, saying the airline ignored safety norms and expanded operations without hiring enough crew.

Goyal said pilots had long taken more hours of rest as per global norms, prompting the DGCA to issue new rules following the court orders. “All airlines were instructed over a year ago to recruit more pilots and staff,” he told news agency ANI, adding that other airlines such as Akasa, SpiceJet, Air India and Air India Express complied.

“However, IndiGo not only disobeyed the regulations, but also expanded its international route network and increased domestic flights without increasing crew and pilots. As a result, when the government wanted to enforce the policy deadline, IndiGo, instead of reducing some of its flights, grounded most of its flights… It created total chaos,” he added.

He added that when it came time to implement the new rest policy, the airline responded by grounding most of its flights instead of cutting schedules. “As a result, when the government wanted to enforce the policy deadline, IndiGo, instead of curtailing some of its flights, grounded most of its flights… It created complete chaos,” Goyal said.

Another aviation expert, Harsh Vardhan, also blamed the airline’s management for the operational disruptions, which led to severe delays and congestion at major airports. He said the IndiGo management should have taken proactive measures for the peak tourism, wedding and business season as the FDTL policy was finalized about a year ago.

“IndiGo’s explanation is that because the government implemented a new policy of limiting flight time and service, so this has suddenly caused problems. This is a management failure. The management should have taken proactive measures because the government policy did not happen in 24 hours. It was deliberate for years. Then, a year ago, the policy was finalised,” said Harsh Vardhan.