IndiGo Flight Crisis Deepens: Government Orders Probe As Massive Cancellations Leave Thousands Stranded

The disruption across IndiGo’s network stretched into the fourth straight day on Friday, with the airline urging passengers to check their flight status online and rely on official notifications before heading to the airport. More than 500 flights were cancelled on Friday alone, pushing the total number of cancellations since December 2 to over 1,100. Delhi airport saw the heaviest impact, with all IndiGo flights for the day cancelled, followed by major disruptions in Chennai, where operations were halted until 6 pm.

The crisis stems from the airline’s difficulty in adapting to Phase 2 of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations, which tightened night-duty restrictions for pilots. The DGCA withdrew a crucial clause that earlier prohibited airlines from substituting leave for weekly rest, hoping the relaxation would ease staffing shortages. The aviation ministry announced that two immediate directives were issued to stabilise operations, especially for IndiGo, and to reduce passenger hardship.

Amid growing chaos nationwide, scenes of long queues, stranded passengers and last-minute cancellations played out across airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other cities. Airfares on competing airlines surged dramatically, with some Delhi–Bengaluru flights quoted near ₹40,000 and Delhi–Mumbai fares touching ₹25,000. The airline told the DGCA that further cancellations were expected at least until December 8, with reduced services even beyond that period.

IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers said cancellations on Saturday would fall below 1,000 and that restoring full normalcy may take until December 10–15 due to the scale and complexity of operations. The airline has apologised twice, assuring customers of refunds, hotel arrangements and meal support where required. Meanwhile, the DGCA has formed a four-member panel to investigate the operational breakdown, and the Aviation Ministry has activated a 24×7 control room to assist affected travellers.

The pressure is intensifying as passengers continue to face uncertainty, with some missing important events and others forced to pay inflated fares for alternative flights. The airline also informed regulators that operations would be fully stabilised only by February 10 next year, heightening concerns for those with upcoming travel plans. The DGCA said the ongoing disruptions were primarily caused by planning errors and an underestimation of the crew required to implement the new duty norms.