Across India’s busiest airports on Friday, December 5, passengers slept on the floor, stood in unmoving queues and searched for missing bags as IndiGo’s ongoing operational collapse stretched into a fourth day, forcing the airline to halt all Delhi departures and cancel hundreds of flights nationwide.
The disruption, which has left hundreds stranded, intensified after IndiGo suspended all departures from Delhi Airport until midnight. This came a day after the carrier scrapped more than 550 domestic and international flights, with routes connecting Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Goa among the worst affected.
According to reports, cancellations on Thursday at individual airports included 118 in Mumbai, 100 in Bengaluru, 75 in Hyderabad, 35 in Kolkata, 26 in Chennai and 11 in Goa, with multiple other airports reporting disruptions.
Hours-long waits, no communication
Across airports, passengers reported hours-long queues, little or no staff presence, and uncertainty over rebooking options. Many shared images on X showing people sleeping on luggage, packed check-in halls and piles of unattended bags.
Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong was among the many stranded at the airport. In a post on X, Simon said his flight to Deoghar in Jharkhand was cancelled, where he intended to attend the wedding of one of his staff members. “Lost for words,” Simon stated.
A video posted by X user Ayush Kuchya has become the face of the outrage, showing distressed passengers waiting for hours with no communication from the airline. In the clip, a visibly overwhelmed passenger breaks down, pleading, “Someone please tell my boss not to fire me,” fearing workplace consequences due to the delay.
Another flier said they were told the flight could not take off because “the captain hadn’t arrived,” while an elderly passenger said, “I don’t trust them anymore.”
One user posted from Bengaluru airport: “Spent the last 4h at Bangalore airport. Some people have been here for more than 13 hours… Thousands stranded (sic).”
A visibly angry father could be seen speaking irritably to a member of the Indigo crew. “I need a sanitary pad for my daughter,” he could be heard saying. In another post on X, a couple could be seen attending their own reception via a video call from the Bhubaneshwar airport after their flight to Hubballi in Karnataka was cancelled. The bride’s parents were forced to sit on the reception stage in their place owing to the mishap.
Another passenger from Hyderabad said she was sent back home at 5 am, only to be called at 7 am asking her where she was. “I've never heard of such a situation in my life. They tell me my flight is cancelled. They sent me home. And the flight is actually not cancelled. Now I have come back, and I'm standing in this long queue," she told ANI.
In another viral video, a passenger can be seen yelling at an Indigo staffer, demanding that the staffer speak to him.
Another passenger from Patna airport said that he checked in for his flight to Bhubaneshwar after he received a message from Indigo saying the flight was on schedule. “I only learnt that it was cancelled after leaving. There are no trains available now. The only option is to take a cab and drive down, but that is expensive as well,” he added.
Some passengers said they were told the aircraft was ready, but there was no pilot available to fly it.
Some users, however, attempted to calm tensions. One traveller noted that IndiGo staff were dealing with “rude travellers” and urged others to remain patient, writing: “Even they don’t enjoy delays. Take a breath and have a coffee like me.”
At several terminals, passengers protested at boarding gates, with the disruptions even affecting boarding for other airlines. Many passengers said customer care wasn’t responding, and the airline’s website was down.
Spike in airfares
Fares on competing carriers surged sharply amid the seat crunch. A Delhi–Bengaluru ticket for Friday or Saturday ranged from Rs 11,000 to Rs 43,145, while fares on Mumbai–Kolkata touched Rs 19,000.
With IndiGo operating 65% of India’s domestic market, the impact spilled over to other carriers as well. Aircraft stuck at airports such as Pune also delayed the operations of other airlines.
DGCA steps in
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) held multiple emergency meetings and directed IndiGo to stabilise operations immediately and ensure airfares do not rise due to reduced capacity.
IndiGo has requested “operational variations/exemptions” from specific Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) rules for A320 operations until 10 February 2026. The DGCA said the airline had assured that corrective measures were underway and that “normalised and stable operations will be fully restored by 10 February 2026.”
The regulator has sought a detailed roadmap on pilot hiring, training schedules, roster restructuring and safety assessments, along with a mandatory 15-day progress report.
A DGCA inspection at Delhi’s Terminal 1 found IndiGo’s passenger-handling manpower “inadequate”, and the airline has been asked to urgently increase staffing across affected terminals.
Pilot groups also criticised the airline. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) alleged that although IndiGo had two years’ notice before the full rollout of the revised duty-time norms, it “inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze.”
Indigo’s response
In a statement on X, IndiGo said, “The last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network and operations. We extend a heartfelt apology to all our customers and industry stakeholders who have been impacted.”
The airline said its teams were working with the aviation ministry, DGCA, BCAS, AAI and airport operators to “reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy.”
Passengers have been advised to check flight status before travelling. IndiGo has also informed the regulator that more cancellations are likely in the coming days and that flight operations will be trimmed from December 8 to reduce disruptions.
What caused the meltdown
IndiGo attributed the disruptions to “unforeseen operational challenges” — including technical issues, weather interruptions and the rollout of revised FDTL norms.
However, according to the DGCA, the primary cause was the airline’s miscalculation of manpower requirements under the new rules restricting pilot duty hours and night landings. After examining data, the regulator said IndiGo’s crew requirements “exceeded their anticipation.”
IndiGo told the regulator it currently has 2,357 captains and 2,194 first officers available for December. But the airline’s needs rose sharply after phase two of the FDTL rules took effect on November 1. In November, it needed 2,422 captains and 2,153 first officers, up from October’s requirement of 2,186 captains and 1,948 first officers.
According to reports, IndiGo increased its domestic flights by 6% for the winter schedule starting October 26, creating a mismatch between available pilots and scheduled flights. With night landings now restricted under the new norms, night operations have been hit hardest.
The DGCA said the disruptions “arose primarily from misjudgement and planning gaps,” adding that IndiGo had acknowledged that the required crew strength was higher than it had projected.
DGCA rules on refund for passengers
According to DGCA rules, a passenger is entitled to compensation between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 if the airline fails to inform them of a cancellation at least two weeks before departure. DGCA also has compensation slabs in place. For flights that are an hour long, a compensation of Rs 5,000; 1-2 hours long, a compensation of Rs 7,500 and over 2 hours long, Rs 10,000 has to be paid by the airline.
In this scenario, passengers also have the option to skip the alternate flight IndiGo offers and claim a full refund if their flight is cancelled or delayed by more than six hours. The DGCA rules also stipulate that refunds must be processed at once via cash or bank transfers, while credit card refunds should be completed within a week’s time.
In case a compensation claim is rejected, a passenger can lodge a complaint at the AirSewa portal/app – the government’s main grievance channel or at the DGCA nodal officers at major airports.