Bags lost, long queues, passengers stranded: IndiGos nationwide crisis persists — key developments

NEW DELHI: IndiGos operational crisis entered its fourth straight day on Friday, triggering widespread chaos at airports across the country, leaving thousands of passengers stranded with no food, no water, vacant counters and lost luggages.

IndiGo has suspended all departures from Delhi Airport until midnight on Friday, intensifying the ongoing travel chaos. This comes a day after the airline cancelled over 550 domestic and international flights, far exceeding its usual daily disruptions. The worst-hit routes were those connecting Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Goa, triggering delays and congestion across major airports nationwide.

According to PTI, airport-wise cancellations included 118 in Mumbai, 100 in Bengaluru, 75 in Hyderabad, 35 in Kolkata, 26 in Chennai and 11 in Goa, with several other airports reporting disruptions as well.

Passengers stranded as cancellations soar: Across airports, frustrated passengers complained about long queues, no staff support, uncertainty over alternative flights and hours-long waits at baggage belts.

Many shared photos on X showing crowds sleeping on luggage, overflowing check-in areas and piles of unattended bags — unsure whether to go home or hope for a last-minute update.

haring a post on X, one user wrote, Spent the last 4h at Bangalore airport. Some people have been here for more than 13 hours. Every single Indigo flight has been delayed significantly and then cancelled. I still find privilege in having the opportunity to try and get on any flight so I can get to my meetings, yet, no flights available until 24h from now. This is not progress. Thousands stranded.

Bengaluru tickets costlier than Taylor Swift concert: Inside the terminal, long queues snaked across check-in counters and security lines, with seating areas completely full. A passenger travelling to Bengaluru told TOI that, My flight was scheduled to depart at 2.15 pm on Thursday. I rushed to see if I could get a ticket on another airline. But a ticket to Bengaluru had become pricier than a seat at a Taylor Swift concert. Clearly, other carriers were indulging in surge pricing.

Later, when the passengers asked an IndiGo staffer about their delayed flight, he reportedly said: The plane is ready, but we don’t have a pilot to fly it, offering no clear answers on the delay or cancellation.

Angry flyers protested at gates: At several airports, frustration boiled over — angry flyers protested at gates, and the chaos even disrupted boarding for other airlines.

Travel chaos spills over to other airlines: Airlines reportedly increased fares amid the crunch. A Delhi–Bengaluru ticket for Friday/Saturday ranged between Rs 11,000 and Rs 43,145, while Mumbai–Kolkata fares touched Rs 19,000.

Airfares surge as seat shortage hits flyers: With IndiGo operating 65% of India’s domestic market, disruptions have hit other carriers too. Aircraft stuck at airports like Pune delayed the movement of other airlines.

IndiGo requests provisions for A320 fleet: The DGCA held multiple emergency meetings and directed IndiGo to stabilise operations immediately and ensure fares do not rise due to reduced capacity.

To reduce passenger inconvenience while maintaining safety margins, IndiGo has requested operational variations/exemptions from specific FDTL provisions for A320 operations up to 10th February 2026. IndiGo has assured DGCA that corrective actions are underway and that normalized and stable operations will be fully restored by 10 February 2026, the DGCA said after meeting the airline management.

IndiGo assures stable operations: IndiGo assured the regulator that normalized and stable operations will be fully restored by 10 February 2026. The DGCA has asked IndiGo to submit a detailed roadmap on pilot hiring, training schedules, roster restructuring and safety assessments. A 15-day progress report is now mandatory.

A DGCA inspection at Delhi’s Terminal 1 found passenger-handling manpower inadequate, and the airline has been told to urgently increase staff across affected terminals.

Pilot associations have criticised IndiGo for poor planning. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) alleged that despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze.

IndiGo issues an apology: 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 by these events. IndiGo teams are working diligently and making all efforts with the support of MOCA, DGCA, BCAS, AAI and airport operators to reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy.

The airline urged passengers to check flight status before travelling.

Operations may stabilise only by February: IndiGo has informed the regulator that more cancellations are likely in the coming days. Flight operations will be trimmed from December 8 to reduce disruptions.

India’s largest airline under pressure: IndiGo operates more than 400 aircraft, runs over 2,300 flights daily, connects 90+ domestic and 45+ international destinations, and flew 118 million passengers in FY25. It was recently named Best Airline in India and South Asia at the 2025 Skytrax Awards.

What caused the meltdown?

IndiGo attributed the disruption to unforeseen operational challenges including technical issues, weather interruptions and the rollout of revised crew duty rules (FDTL norms).

The DGCA, however, said the disruptions stemmed from misjudging manpower needs under the new rules that limit pilot duty hours and night landings. After reviewing data, the regulator said the airline’s crew requirements exceeded their anticipation.

IndiGo told the regulator that it currently has 2,357 captains and 2,194 first officers available for December. But the airline’s crew requirement has sharply risen since the second phase of the FDTL rules kicked in. In November, IndiGo needed 2,422 captains and 2,153 first officers, higher than October’s requirement of 2,186 captains and 1,948 first officers.

The data shows a clear crew shortage, which is a major reason behind the ongoing flight disruptions. With the new FDTL norms also limiting the number of night landings per pilot, night operations have been hit the hardest. The airline admitted that crew requirements were higher than expected and shared its updated projections with the regulator.

IndiGo underestimated how many crew members it would need after the second phase of FDTL rules kicked in on November 1. Despite this, the airline increased its domestic flights by 6% — from 14,158 in the summer schedule to 15,014 in the winter schedule starting October 26.

This mismatch between flights and available pilots and crew has created a major crunch, turning into a double blow for passengers: cancelled flights and skyrocketing fares.

These disruptions have arisen primarily from misjudgement and planning gaps in implementing phase 2 of the flight duty time limitation, with the airline accepting the actual crew requirement for new (rules) exceeded their anticipation, the DGCA added.

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