Hundreds Of IndiGo Flights Cancelled Across India On Day 5 Of Crisis
IndiGo Crisis: The disruption began as a result of a shortage of pilots that the airline failed to anticipate — largely due to poor manpower planning, tight rosters, and the challenge of accommodating stricter crew-rest regulations.
According to airline data and regulatory changes, the recent enforcement of more stringent flight-duty-time limitations (FDTL) meant pilots needed longer rest periods, reducing the number of flights each could operate.
When staffing fell short, especially for night flights and weekend schedules, flight cancellations surged — underscoring the airline’s inability to adapt scheduling quickly.
Day 5 Figures — Where were flights cancelled and how many?
On December 6, the fifth consecutive day of disruption:
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In total, 405 domestic flights of IndiGo were cancelled nationwide.
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At Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi), 86 flights were scrapped.
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At Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai), 109 flights faced cancellation.
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Other major airports hit: ~50 flights at Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru), ~69 at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, around 30 at Chennai International Airport, and several at Ahmedabad, Pune and other regional airports.
Airports like Chennai saw long queues and stranded passengers as 28 departures and 20 arrivals were cancelled in a single day.
Passenger Fallout — Chaos, delays, and frustrations at airports
The cancellations led to widespread chaos at airports. Stranded passengers reported long waits, limited information, and lack of support.
Scenes of frustration and despair were common, with many missing urgent commitments — business meetings, weddings and other personal travel plans disrupted.
To mitigate the damage, IndiGo committed to automatic refunds to all customers whose flights were cancelled. The airline promised that payments would be credited back to the original mode of payment.
What does the airline say — Apology and roadmap to normalcy
On social media (X), the airline apologized to its passengers:
“We do deeply apologise … we assure you that we will do everything in our capacity … to bring our operations back to normal at the earliest.”
The airline’s CEO says full normalization may take until between December 10 and 15, warning that due to the scale of disruption, resuming full capacity will take time. Meanwhile, the government and regulators are reportedly keeping a close watch on the situation, urging airlines to improve crew rostering and better anticipate demand spikes, especially when stricter rules are enforced.
Read more: IndiGo On-Time Performance Crashes to 8.5%: Over 400 Flights Cancelled, Aviation Chaos Unfolds
Conclusion
The 5-day long disruption at India’s largest domestic carrier marks one of the worst operational meltdowns in recent memory. With hundreds of flights cancelled daily and thousands of passengers affected, the crisis exposed critical flaws in manpower planning and regulatory compliance. While full refunds and public apology offer some relief, restoring passenger trust and ensuring smoother scheduling will be the real test for IndiGo in coming days.
