Why this Matters: IndiGo Crisis Hits at a Critical Time
2025 has been a turbulent year for IndiGo. With over 2,100 flights cancelled across the country between early December and now, the disruption marks one of the worst service breakdowns in the airline’s history.
Given IndiGo’s dominance (over 60% of India’s domestic air traffic), the impact is widespread — affecting students, job-aspirants, working professionals, medical patients, and many others who rely on air travel for critical commitments.
For individuals preparing or appearing for competitive exams — whether state-level, national, or even abroad — this chaos could spell serious trouble. Exam dates, travel plans, admit-card pickups, counselling sessions or interviews tied to universities can all get disrupted. In this blog, I map out what’s going wrong, why, and how exam-seekers should navigate this crisis.
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What’s Going Wrong at IndiGo: Causes Behind the Collapse
• New Pilot Duty & Rest Norms (FDTL) — Poor Implementation
The root trigger was the enforcement of revised pilot duty/ rest-hour rules by DGCA (Flight Duty Time Limitations, or FDTL), effective November 2025. The rules increase mandatory rest periods for pilots, cap the number of night-landings and limit continuous duty hours.
While the norms were announced well in advance, IndiGo failed to adjust rosters, crew strength, and planning accordingly. This lack of preparedness led to acute crew shortages once the rules kicked in.
• Combination of Additional Operational Challenges
Along with roster/crew issues, IndiGo cited technical glitches, winter-schedule realignments, airport congestion, and adverse weather as contributing factors.
This mix of problems caused cascading flight cancellations and delays — with on-time performance plummeting drastically. On some days, only 3 out of 10 flights departed on time.
• Regulatory Action: Show-Cause Notice, Investigations & Government Intervention
In response to the chaos, DGCA issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo’s CEO (Pieter Elbers) and the accountable manager — citing "serious lapses in planning and oversight."
The regulator noted that the main cause of disruption was the airline’s “non-provisioning of adequate arrangements” necessary for complying with the FDTL requirements.
The central government (via the Ministry of Civil Aviation) has launched a high-level inquiry into the crisis, demanding a comprehensive roadmap from the airline and immediate relief measures for passengers such as refunds, accommodation, information and alternate transport support.
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How This Crisis Affects Competitive-Exam Aspirants and Students
If you are preparing for or appearing in a competitive exam (or have to travel for admit-cards, interviews, counselling, etc.), the current crisis at IndiGo could affect you in several ways:
1. Missed flights = missed exams or counselling deadlines
With frequent cancellations and delays, there's a real risk of missing exam dates, shifting counselling/interview slots, or failing to reach exam centres on time — especially for last-minute planners.
For aspirants travelling across states (e.g. rural to city, or from home to exam centre), alternative transport (train or bus) may not always match the convenience or timeliness of flights, adding stress and uncertainty.
2. Panic, uncertainty, and mental stress
Exam season is already stressful; travel disruptions add another layer, which can impact focus and performance.
Unreliable travel increases anxiety — especially for students from far-flung areas, low-income families or those traveling late at night/morning.
3. Financial burden and unplanned costs
If flights are cancelled/rescheduled, aspirants may need to book last-minute travel (higher cost), arrange last-minute accommodation, or face other logistical hassles.
Refunds from airlines are uncertain, delayed or complicated — adding to financial stress.
4. Unpredictability in long-term planning
Many competitive-exam aspirants also apply for college admissions, interviews, or coaching sessions — all requiring stable travel. With IndiGo’s dominance, unpredictability in their scheduling undermines long-term academic planning.
5. Reliance on alternate transport
In the wake of airline disruption, aspirants may have to depend on trains or buses — often requiring much earlier departure, longer journey durations, and sacrificing preparation time on travel days.
In short: for many exam-goers, this airline crisis doesn't just inconvenience—it can disrupt dreams, hard work, and timelines.
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What’s the Outlook: Can Things Stabilize Soon?
IndiGo has acknowledged the crisis and is working to “stabilise schedules, reduce delays, prioritise refunds”.
The government’s high-level probe and DGCA’s show-cause notice signal increased regulatory scrutiny — which may force structural improvements in crew rostering, planning and resource allocation.
Airlines other than IndiGo may see some surge in demand (for aspirants/travelers seeking more reliable travel), which could mean higher fares or limited availability elsewhere — something to account for ahead of exam season.
For exam aspirants: it might make sense to plan travel with buffer time, use alternate transport options as backup, or try to avoid last-minute flights until the situation normalises.
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Suggestions for Aspirants: How to Prepare & Safeguard Travel Plans Amid the Turmoil
If I were advising a student or aspirant today, here’s what I’d suggest:
Avoid booking flights at the last minute — especially around exam dates, admit-card or counselling deadlines.
Use trains/buses as backup — while slower, they are less prone to cancellation in this crisis. Plan to reach early to avoid last-minute rush and stress.
Keep buffer days between travel and exam/interview dates — allow at least 1–2 extra days to absorb any unforeseen delay.
Track travel updates actively — check flight status frequently; have alternate plans ready.
Prefer more reliable airlines (if possible) — if you have the option, choose carriers with better recent reliability records (though for many cities, choices are limited).
Be ready for financial contingency — last-minute bookings cost more; plan budget accordingly; also follow up on refunds if flights are cancelled.
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What This Crisis Highlights — A Broader Reflection on Indian Competitive Exams + Travel Dependency
This IndiGo crisis underscores a broader structural vulnerability: many aspirants in India depend heavily on air travel — especially those from remote areas, or students moving across states for college, coaching, or exams. When a dominant airline collapses operationally (even temporarily), it creates major ripples beyond just missed vacations; it affects education, aspirations, economic mobility.
It also shows the critical importance of regulatory planning, capacity building, and contingency mechanisms in sectors intertwined with citizen mobility — especially at a time when exam seasons, admissions, and job recruitments often peak in sync with holidays, school breaks, and travel seasons.
For exam aspirants, it’s a wake-up call: never take travel for granted; always build backup plans — because uncertainties in transport can derail even the most determined efforts.
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