Passengers Checked In, Airline 'Checked Out': UP Flyers See Red Over IndiGo Blues

Chaos reigned for air passengers boarding from Uttar Pradesh as IndiGo’s ongoing operational crisis snowballed into unprecedented disruptions across the state. By Friday evening, 51 flights from UP were

cancelled—the highest being 23 from Lucknow, 22 from Varanasi, four from Gorakhpur, and two from Prayagraj. On Saturday, the situation further deteriorated as 22 more flights were cancelled from Lucknow alone, with scenes of anger, panic and frustration playing out at airports.

Across terminals, passengers—some travelling with children, senior citizens, or for international connections—found themselves stranded for 24 hours or more. Many alleged that IndiGo continued issuing boarding passes and automated check-in messages even for flights that had already been cancelled.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, holding him accountable for the operational meltdown. According to sources, the government is also mulling the removal of Elbers over the crisis. The Civil Aviation Ministry has decided to conduct a fortnightly review of the airline’s operations, focusing particularly on its hiring practices, sources told CNN-News18.

At Lucknow airport, the situation spiralled into complete disorder. Passengers clashed with each other and with airline staff, leading to heated scuffles. “I had already checked in online and downloaded my boarding pass. After reaching here, they tell me the flight is cancelled. What kind of joke is this?” said a visibly angry passenger who arrived to board his Delhi-bound flight. “They didn’t send a cancellation message but kept sending check-in notifications. IndiGo is playing with the public.”

The crisis unfolded as the Centre withdrew its new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rule, which had mandated a continuous 48-hour weekly rest for pilots and crew members. However, the relief came too late for IndiGo, which has been battling a severe crew shortage for the fourth consecutive day. Nationally, more than 500 flights were cancelled on Friday, and over the past four days, the figure has crossed 1,200 cancellations.

‘No Food, No Seating, No Information’

At Lucknow airport, hundreds of passengers camped on the floor and atop luggage trolleys due to lack of seating arrangements. Around 1,000 passengers were estimated to be stranded on Saturday. A Delhi-based traveller who came to attend a wedding said, “IndiGo has held my luggage for three days. If I find them in front of me, I’ll slap them. I am attending functions without proper clothes. They have no system, no respect for passengers.”

In Varanasi, passengers stood in serpentine queues, pleading for clarity on their flights. “There is no place to sit, no drinking water, no announcements. Children and elderly people are suffering the most,” said a group of passengers whose Bengaluru flight had been cancelled.

Anil Kumar, a Varanasi passenger travelling with a heart patient and four senior citizens, said, “All IndiGo flights are cancelled today. People are worried about how to reach Bengaluru now.”

Stories of Lost Money, Missed Connections, and Collapsing Travel Plans

For many, the cancellations meant financial losses and missed international connections. A woman flying from Lucknow to Sydney said, “If IndiGo had shown the cancellations online, I wouldn’t have wasted my time coming here. They are not even allowing us proper space to sit or keep luggage.”

Mehul Joshi, who travelled from Nepal to Lucknow by road, was devastated. “I spent Rs 12,000-Rs 13,000 just to get here. Now I have to spend the same amount to go back because my flight to Bengaluru is cancelled. There was no online update at all.”

Aparna, who arrived from Sydney and had a connecting flight to Mumbai, said, “My 6E-622 flight was cancelled after I had already checked in. Now my international connection is gone.”

In Lucknow, a passenger from Bihar’s Siwan, Ranjeet Kumar Gupta, feared losing his job overseas. “I was supposed to fly to Riyadh. My visa expires on December 8. If I don’t reach, I will lose more than Rs 2 lakh. They haven’t refunded me—just gave me a paper slip saying money will come later.”

Others complained of being abandoned with no support system. “At Delhi airport, everything is finished—no food, nothing for diabetic patients or children. Our luggage, including jewellery, is stuck. No one from IndiGo is answering,” said Umashankar, who had come to Varanasi for a wedding.

Passengers across UP demanded strong regulatory action. “This is not a joke. Thousands of travellers are stranded and losing lakhs of rupees. The government must intervene,” a passenger said at Lucknow airport.

As queues spill out of terminals and passengers run from one counter to another, UP’s airports remain among the worst-hit in the country. With cancellations piling up and no clarity on when schedules will stabilise, the crisis shows few signs of easing.