1,000+ Flights Cancelled, Over 2.5 Lakh Flyers Stranded – How IndiGo’s Worst-Ever Crisis Unfolded

New Delhi: for lakhs of passengers across India, Friday felt less like a day of travel and more like a day of survival. Airports turned chaotic, queues stretched endlessly, tempers ran high and passengers simply

waited, unsure if their flight would depart at all. In just 24 hours, IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights, delayed hundreds more, and left an estimated 2.5 lakh passengers stranded or struggling to rebook.What began as a rostering problem spiralled quickly into possibly the worst operational crisis in IndiGo’s 19-year history, prompting a high-level government inquiry, emergency regulatory relaxations, and a rare nationwide suspension of all IndiGo departures from Delhi airport.This is a complete recap for anyone trying to piece together what actually happened.

A Sudden Collapse: How India’s Largest Airline Hit a Wall

IndiGo operates more than 2,300 flights a day and controls nearly two-thirds of India’s domestic market. Yet from Thursday night into Friday, its operation simply crumbled.

• On-time performance plunged to 8.5%.
• Delays crossed 12 hours.
• Over 400 flights were cancelled on Thursday.
• Over 1,000 flights were axed on Friday — the highest ever in a single day.
• Airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad saw near-gridlock levels of passenger crowding.

Passengers protested, searched for missing baggage, and flooded social media with videos describing the situation as “a meltdown”.The core problem: IndiGo’s internal planning failed to accommodate new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) for pilots, rules that mandate longer rest periods and fewer night operations.The airline had weeks to prepare. It didn’t.

Government Steps In: Inquiry Ordered, Rules Temporarily Relaxed

By Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Civil Aviation stepped in, calling the situation “serious enough to warrant an independent examination.”Key government actions included:

• High-level inquiry ordered into IndiGo’s internal oversight and compliance planning.
• DGCA temporarily relaxed FDTL norms, including night-duty limits and rest requirements.
• Airlines allowed to treat leave as weekly rest, freeing more pilots for duty.
• Exemptions granted till February 10, 2026, but only for IndiGo’s massive A320 fleet.
• DGCA to review IndiGo’s corrective progress every 15 days.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said the government expects near-normal schedules by Saturday and complete restoration within three days, without compromising on passenger safety.

Inside IndiGo: ‘Rebooting Everything’

In a candid video message, his first since the crisis began, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers apologised to passengers and admitted that earlier measures had simply not worked.“We decided today for a reboot of all our systems and schedules… resulting in the highest number of cancellations so far.”He said cancellations should fall below 1,000 from tomorrow, and predicted full normalisation between December 10–15.The airline even took the unprecedented step of suspending all departing domestic flights from Delhi until midnight on Friday to reset its operations.

The Cost: Over 2.5 Lakh Travellers Affected in a Day

Every cancellation ripples outward, impacting work, weddings, hospital visits, exams, connecting flights and international travel.Given IndiGo’s average passenger loads (150–170 flyers per aircraft), over 2.5 lakh people were hit on Friday alone through:

• Cancelled flights
• Severe delays
• Missed connections
• Misplaced baggage
• Route overbookings
• Skyrocketing airfares on other airlines

Backlash Builds: Pilots’ Body Calls DGCA Relief ‘Unsafe’

The Airlines’ Pilots Association (ALPA) India criticised the DGCA’s selective relaxation granted only to IndiGo, saying it sets a “dangerous precedent” and risks pushing fatigued pilots into more flying hours.The regulator, however, insisted the measures were temporary and without any dilution of safety, meant only to stabilise mass disruption during the busy winter and wedding season.

What Happens Next?

Short-term (next 72 hours):

• Cancellations expected to reduce day by day.
• Schedules gradually stabilising.
• Government oversight intensifying.
• Passenger compensation and rebooking challenges continuing.

Medium-term (10–15 December):

• IndiGo expects full operational recovery.
• Internal corrective measures to be audited.
• Hiring and rostering improvements to be submitted to DGCA.

Long-term (by Feb 2026):

• IndiGo must demonstrate sustainable compliance with FDTL norms.
• Regular DGCA reviews every 15 days.
• Airline required to build stronger internal buffers and crew strength.

(with inputs from news agencies)