54% Indigo flyers report service, punctuality issues; 45% flag lack of transparency: LocalCircles

Hyderabad: Over 200 Indigo flights were cancelled across major Indian cities this week over what is said to be a crew shortage. In November, IndiGo cancelled a staggering 1,232 flights, according to regulatory data.

New FDTL rules trigger disruptions

The disruption follows the latest implementation of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) from November 1, which would have led to an increase in the requirements of pilots.

FDTL regulates the maximum duty hours for pilots and cabin crew to prevent fatigue and ensure safety. The revised norms mandate a weekly rest period of 48 hours, longer night duty regulations and a cap of two-night landings per crew instead of the earlier limit of six.

The first phase kicked in during July, while the second phase began on November 1.

There were other issues too behind the cancellations, such as technical glitches, airport/airspace/ATC restrictions, airport congestion, seasonal schedule changes and occasional weather disruptions.

It’s not just cancellations and technical problems

Apart from cancelled flights, IndiGo has been receiving flak on social media for its alleged tardy services, delay of flights and rude behaviour of staff with passengers.

According to a LocalCircles survey, as much as 54 per cent of passengers who flew Indigo had an issue with its timeliness in the last 12 months.

Sharp dip in on-time performance

Over the last two days of operational chaos, IndiGo recorded only 35 per cent On-Time Performance (OTP) at key airports on December 2, as per data from the Civil Aviation Ministry. Despite leading OTP in October, the airline has been struggling to maintain punctuality lately.

As per the data provided by LocalCircles, the airline has seen fluctuations, with some reports indicating a drop from 92.4 per cent in 2021 to 85.4 per cent in 2023.

In 2024, only 69.69 per cent of IndiGo’s flights are reported to have arrived on time at their destination. Currently, its on-time arrival rate is around 80-82 per cent.

Staff attitude, timeliness and lack of information transparency are top issues

In a new survey, LocalCircles has strived to find out areas of passenger concern with Indigo and how things have changed in the last 12 months.

The survey asked fliers, “What are some of the issues you have experienced when flying Indigo in the last 12 months?”

Some among the 15,938 fliers who responded to the question indicated more than one issue.

As much as 54 per cent of respondents stated “timeliness” is a major issue; 54 per cent of respondents indicated “staff attitude and courteousness”; 45 per cent indicated “information timeliness and transparency”; 42 per cent indicated “baggage handling”; 32 per cent indicated “customer service”; 27 per cent indicated “quality and maintenance of aircraft”; 23 per cent indicated “food quality”; 14 per cent indicated “entertainment systems” and 19 per cent indicated “other issues”.

To sum up, staff attitude and lack of courteousness, timeliness, and lack of information transparency are the top issues Indigo fliers have with the airline.

Increase in complaints from 2024

LocalCircles stated that on most counts, Indigo fliers have more complaints this year compared to 2024.

Here’s a brief overview of the issues and their corresponding difference in complaints in 2024 and 2025:

- Timeliness: From 33% to 54%

- Baggage handling: From 27% to 42%

- Staff attitude and courteousness: From 46% to 54%

- Customer service: From 23% to 32%

- On quality of aircraft and maintenance: From 19% to 27%

- Information timeliness and transparency: From 27% to 45%

The survey recommends that the Ministry of Civil Aviation set up a panel with representatives from DGCA and the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) for better redressal of fliers’ grievances.

Indigo business trajectory

IndiGo recorded a loss of Rs 2,582 crore in the July–September quarter (Q2) of FY25, compared with a profit of Rs 2,176 crore in the previous April–June quarter (Q1 FY25).

The airline said its loss during the quarter was mainly due to the impact of currency movement, leading to a steep forex loss of Rs 2,892 crore compared with Rs 241 crore in the same period last financial year.

Without the forex impact, the airline would have reported a net profit of Rs 104 crore, as per its regulatory filing.

Currently, IndiGo operates around 15,768 flights weekly, reflecting a 12.7 per cent increase from the same period last year, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Extent of survey

The survey received inputs from over 15,000 Indigo passengers located across 301 districts of India; 62 per cent of respondents were men, while 38 per cent of respondents were women; 46 per cent of respondents were from tier 1, 29 per cent from tier 2 and 25 per cent of respondents were from tier 3, 4, 5 and rural districts.