Indian Air Traffic Chaos With Mass IndiGo Flight Cancellations
NEW DELHI Air passengers traveling with IndiGo across the country on December 5 faced severe inconvenience, confusion, and distress as widespread flight cancellations resulted in long delays and a sudden, sharp rise in ticket prices. The operational crisis, which has been escalating for several days, forced Delhi Airport to announce the cancellation of all IndiGo domestic departures until midnight. The suspension, confirmed by the airport on social media, immediately created a shortage of seats, resulting in skyrocketing airfares across major routes.
Flyers from cities including Pune, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Surat, Nagpur, and Mumbai reported being stranded at airports, often without clear communication or assistance from the airline. In Pune, a distressed passenger said, “I have been stuck here since yesterday (December 4). My wife has passed away, and her body is still at the hospital. I need to take her back home. It has already been two days, and no help is being provided.” Another passenger in Pune urged the government to intervene: “When flights are being cancelled on such a large scale, there must be proper guidelines, oversight, and accountability. My leave from work has now been wasted, and I am stranded without an alternative.”
Other passengers highlighted the operational confusion, reporting that a cancellation message was sometimes followed by a web check-in notification, confusing everyone. In Mumbai, a passenger reported chaos over baggage handling after cancellation: “After the cancellation, nobody guided us regarding luggage… This lack of coordination is causing panic among travelers.” In Patna, a flyer noted the severity of the continuous disruption: “Our flight on December 3 was cancelled, and now today’s flight is also cancelled. Nobody knows whether it will operate later or not, and ticket prices on other flights are rising rapidly.” An international traveler in Bhubaneswar complained of a lack of communication while attempting to secure a connection to Bengaluru.
With more than 220 IndiGo flights cancelled in Delhi alone, and over 100 cancellations in Bengaluru and nearly 90 in Hyderabad, the reduction in capacity instantly impacted air travel costs nationwide. Airfares on several major routes surged to extraordinary levels for last-minute bookings. Examples of the spike include an Air India one-stop flight from Delhi to Bengaluru soaring to Rs 1.02 lakh, while Delhi–Mumbai fares on Air India peaked at Rs 60,000. Tickets on the Chennai–Delhi route touched Rs 41,000 on Air India Express and Rs 69,000 on SpiceJet. A Hyderabad–Delhi one-stop Air India flight climbed to Rs 87,000.
IndiGo attributed the widespread cancellations and delays to a combination of factors, primarily the full implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitation norms for pilots.
The DGCA rules, which aim to reduce fatigue and improve safety by increasing weekly rest periods and limiting night-time operations, have led to a severe crew shortage and scheduling challenges for the airline.
IndiGo, which holds over 60 percent of the domestic market, admitted that it had underestimated the crew requirements under the new system. The operational meltdown has been building for several days, with the airline recording over 1,200 cancellations across its network in November. Delhi Airport confirmed that operations for all other carriers remain as scheduled. (IANS)
