IndiGo Cancels Over 550 Flights, Worst Disruption in 20 Years
Airline Apologises as Thousands Stranded, Fares Shoot Up to ₹40,000
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 5th Dec: In one of the worst aviation disruptions India has seen in recent years, IndiGo—India’s largest airline—cancelled more than 550 domestic and international flights on Thursday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across major airports.
Officials confirmed that this is the highest number of cancellations IndiGo has recorded in a single day in its 20-year history. With demand surging and supply shrinking, airfares skyrocketed to ₹30,000–₹40,000, forcing many travellers to abandon their plans altogether.
The disruption hit major metro hubs hardest.
At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport alone, 172 flights were cancelled, followed by 118 in Mumbai, 100 in Bengaluru, 75 in Hyderabad, 35 in Kolkata, 26 in Chennai, and 11 in Goa. Several other airports across India also reported cancellations and severe delays.
IndiGo Issues Apology, Admits Operational Collapse
Facing intense criticism, IndiGo issued a public apology to passengers and stakeholders, acknowledging widespread operational breakdowns.
“The last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network,” the airline said, adding that teams were working urgently to “restore normalcy.”
A message from IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers went viral on social media, where he admitted the airline had “failed to live up to its promise” of reliable service.
Elbers cited a combination of issues—technology glitches, schedule changes, adverse weather, aviation congestion, and new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms—as key factors behind the meltdown.
DGCA Steps In, Questions Manpower Shortage
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it had been briefed by IndiGo and would review the airline’s request for temporary relaxations in FDTL rules for A320 flight operations.
A DGCA team also inspected Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1, where IndiGo operates a majority of flights. The watchdog reported that IndiGo’s passenger-handling staff was “inadequate” to manage the chaos caused by the cancellations.
Civil Aviation Minister Pulls Up IndiGo
Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu held a high-level review meeting, expressing displeasure at how the airline handled the crisis.
He warned IndiGo against raising fares, directing the DGCA and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to continuously monitor the situation and provide full assistance to stranded travellers.
“I have instructed the DGCA and concerned officials to keep a close watch on the network and directed IndiGo to normalise operations at the earliest,” Naidu said in a post on X.
When Will Normalcy Return?
IndiGo has told authorities that operations may only stabilise by February next year, raising concerns for passengers travelling during the peak holiday season.
With staffing shortages, regulatory constraints and weather uncertainties continuing to pressure Indian aviation, Thursday’s crisis highlights how fragile the system has become—and how easily millions of travel plans can be derailed in a single day.
