IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced one of its worst operational days on Thursday as it cancelled more than 550 flights. This is the highest number of cancellations in the airline’s 20-year history. The disruptions continued for the third straight day, affecting thousands of passengers across the country.

The airline is struggling because of several problems happening at the same time. These include a shortage of cabin crew, issues with scheduling, and some technical challenges. To manage the situation, IndiGo has changed its flight schedules, which means that some cancellations are being done in advance as part of its plan to restore normal operations.

IndiGo has also warned passengers that more flights are likely to be cancelled over the next two to three days. Normally, IndiGo operates around 2,300 flights every day and is known for being on time. But this week, its punctuality has dropped sharply. On Wednesday, its on-time performance fell to just 19.7%, compared to 35% on Tuesday.

Because of the large-scale disruptions, the Civil Aviation Ministry and aviation regulator DGCA met senior IndiGo officials to find immediate solutions. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers told employees that fixing the situation and improving punctuality will not be easy.

Major airports across India saw several cancellations. Mumbai recorded 118 cancellations, Bengaluru 100, Hyderabad 75, Kolkata 35, Chennai 26, and Goa 11, according to PTI. Many other airports also reported cancelled flights. IndiGo has accepted that it miscalculated the number of crew members needed under the new aviation rules. This mistake, combined with winter weather and airport congestion, caused severe staffing shortages.

The DGCA had introduced Phase 2 of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) from November 1 after a court order. These rules are meant to ensure pilots get enough rest and do not suffer from fatigue. However, implementing these rules changed crew duty patterns, especially for night flights. IndiGo said it underestimated how many pilots would be needed to follow these new norms.

Because of the disruptions, authorities have now temporarily rolled back some of the changes, such as extending the definition of night duty and limiting the number of night landings. Still, IndiGo says it needs time to fully stabilise its operations.