Fifty-five per cent of IndiGo’s domestic flights were delayed on Saturday as a significant section of the cabin crew took sick leave, with sources in the industry saying they appeared to have gone to an Air India recruitment drive.

Phase-2 of Air India’s recruitment drive was conducted on Saturday and the majority of IndiGo’s cabin crew members who took sick leave took part in it, the sources added.

IndiGo, which is India’s largest airline, and Air India, now under the Tata Group, did not respond to PTI’s requests for statements. Arun Kumar, who heads the aviation regulator DGCA, said the regulator was looking into the matter.

IndiGo CEO Ronjoy Dutta had on April 8 told employees through an email that raising salaries was a difficult and thorny issue but the airline would constantly review and adjust wages based on its profitability and the competitive environment.

On April 4, IndiGo had suspended a few pilots who were planning to organise a strike to protest against pay cuts.