GEORGE TOWN: Flights between Chennai and Penang continue to operate as usual despite recent disruptions faced by IndiGo Airlines, says Penang Tourism committee chairman Wong Hon Wai.
"This morning the IndiGo Airlines flight from Chennai to Penang landed on schedule. There have been no issues here," he said when contacted on Sunday (Dec 7).
The direct Penang-Chennai service, launched on Dec 21 last year (2024), has been well received by travellers.
IndiGo assigned an A320 aircraft with a seating capacity of 186 passengers for the route.
Earlier this week, it was reported that IndiGo, India’s largest airline, cancelled thousands of flights due to a shortage of pilots after failing to adequately plan for new rules limiting pilot working hours.
The new regulations, which took effect on Nov 1 (2025), enforce stricter limits on night flying and weekly rest for pilots.
The roster crisis peaked in December, a busy period for holidays and weddings in India. According to Reuters, on Thursday (Dec 4), IndiGo cancelled over 1,200 flights, and on Friday (Dec 5) more than 1,000 flights were cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. On Saturday (Dec 6), the airline cancelled 124 flights in Bengaluru, 109 in Mumbai, 86 in New Delhi and 66 in Hyderabad.
After the Indian government announced exemptions to the new rules for IndiGo, the airline said it expected to return to normal operations between December 10 and 15.
