India's largest airline operator, IndiGo, experienced a significant travel disruption crisis beginning on Friday, 5 December 2025, marked by a sharp rise in flight cancellations and delays. This operational turmoil was primarily attributed to the implementation of updated crew rostering Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, which led to more than 500 flights being either delayed or cancelled over several days, subsequently reported as over 400 cancellations on the fourth day of the crisis.

In response to the widespread inconvenience, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director, Ajay Singh, announced that SpiceJet was operating 100 additional flights over the next few days to help manage the travel nightmare. Singh welcomed the government's and aviation regulator's decision to constitute a committee to investigate the root causes of the disruption, emphasizing the importance of identifying what happened and why to prevent similar incidents in the future. He acknowledged the unfortunate nature of the issues and expressed confidence that both the government and IndiGo were actively working towards an early resolution.

IndiGo, for its part, issued an apology to its customers for the inconvenience caused. The airline informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that it planned to restore full operations to a stable level by 10 February 2026, while cautioning that flight cancellations would continue for another two to three days as part of its schedule stabilization efforts. Beyond the updated FDTL norms, IndiGo cited minor technology glitches, schedule changes for the winter season, adverse weather conditions, and increased congestion in the aviation system as contributing factors to the operational disruptions. The airline intends to strengthen crew planning and rostering in compliance with the updated FDTL norms and improve coordination with Air Traffic Control (ATC) to manage capacity issues and overall turnaround times.

From a financial perspective, IndiGo's net loss widened significantly in the July-September quarter of the 2025-26 financial year, increasing by 161% to ₹2,582 crore, compared to ₹987 crore in the same period the previous fiscal year. Although revenue from core operations saw a 9.3% rise to ₹18,555 crore, higher foreign exchange costs, which more than tenfold increased to ₹2,892 crore, inflated overall expenses and contributed to the widened net loss.

IndiGo maintains a dominant position in the Indian aviation market. According to Statista data, its market share stood at 63% as of September 2025. International Air Transport Association (IATA) data from June 2025 indicated IndiGo held 53.4% market share by seat capacity at the end of 2024, followed by Air India, Air India Express, Vistara, and SpiceJet. The airline's market capitalization (M-Cap) recorded a 215% jump over the last five years, reaching ₹2.076 trillion by 5 December 2025. While IndiGo shares have provided over 200% returns in five years and over 22% in the last year, the stock closed 1.22% lower on 5 December 2025, amid the crisis, having lost 5.72% in the last month and trading 8.76% lower year-to-date.

IndiGo operates on a low-cost carrier (LCC) business model, focusing on minimizing operating costs to maximize profits. This strategy involves cutting back on services like not serving hot food, which eliminates the need for onboard food heaters, thereby saving weight and fuel. Additionally, the airline exclusively uses Airbus aircraft, which reduces pilot training costs, and employs a leasing-based model for its fleet, offering high flexibility without the risks associated with owning depreciating assets.

The airline was co-founded by Rahul Bhatia, who serves as the Group Managing Director at its parent company, InterGlobe Aviation. Bhatia, an Electrical Engineering graduate from the University of Waterloo, holds a 0.01% stake in InterGlobe Aviation and had a net worth of $8.1 billion as of 5 December 2025, though it saw a 1.02% drop during the crisis. The other co-founder, Rakesh Gangwal, stepped down from the board in 2022 following a public fallout in 2019 and has been selling his stake, currently holding 4.53% in InterGlobe Aviation.