IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Friday projected a full return to normal operations only between 10-15 December, even as the Centre asserted that flight schedules should stabilise by Saturday with complete normalcy likely by Monday.
The contrasting timelines emerged on a day the airline recorded its highest ever cancellations.
Elbers issued an apology this evening after more than a thousand flights were cancelled on Friday, calling 5 December the worst day for operational disruptions with more than half of IndiGo’s daily flights grounded.
He warned that Saturday will also bring challenges for passengers, though cancellations are expected to drop to below 1,000.
"Full normalisation is expected between 10-15 December, though IndiGo cautions that recovery will take time due to the scale of operations," the IndiGo CEO said.
In a video message, Elbers said the airline had faced severe operational disruptions over the past few days and offered an apology for the inconvenience caused.
He explained that the issues had multiple causes while stressing that IndiGo’s priority was its response.
According to him, the airline has taken three steps to stabilise operations which include strengthening customer communication with detailed updates and increased call centre capacity, assisting stranded passengers at major airports while advising those with cancelled flights not to travel to the airport, and initiating a full operational reset to realign crew and aircraft after earlier measures proved insufficient.
He said support from the aviation regulator has been helpful and daily improvements are expected.
Earlier on Friday, the government said that normal airline services would begin to stabilise by Saturday.
Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, in a statement issued on Friday said a high-level inquiry will be ordered and accountability fixed.
Within minutes, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced a four member committee to examine the circumstances behind the delays and cancellations.
The panel comprises Joint Director General Sanjay K. Bramhane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, Senior Flight Operations Inspector Captain Kapil Manglik and Flight Operations Inspector Captain Rampal.
The committee will submit its report within 15 days.
Naidu justified the suspension of certain provisions of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) meant to ensure adequate rest for crew.
He said this was done in the interest of passengers and safety will not be compromised.
He added that the ministry had directed several operational measures to ensure services are restored quickly and that the inconvenience to travellers is reduced.
He said flight schedules will begin to stabilise by Saturday and complete restoration will be achieved within the next three days.
According to the DGCA order, prima facie, the situation indicated deficiencies in internal oversight, operational preparedness, and compliance planning, "warranting an independent examination".
The regulator noted that despite repeated directions issued in advance, IndiGo was unable to forecast crew availability, conduct training or realign rosters in line with revised FDTL.
These shortcomings resulted in cascading delays and cancellations beginning late November 2025.
The airline acknowledged during a review meeting that it failed to anticipate crew requirements under the revised norms and that there were significant gaps in planning during the implementation of Phase II of the Civil Aviation Requirements on FDTL, which came into effect on 1 November after Phase I was implemented in July.
"This shortfall directly contributed to large-scale disruptions, with cancellations reaching 170-200 flights daily, severely affecting network integrity and passenger convenience. Where it was noticed in the month of November the flight cancellations of IndiGo were maximum vis-a-vis other airlines," the order said.
