In yet another major flight issue in the saga of IndiGo, lakhs of passengers have been hit by severe delays and widespread cancellations across India’s largest airline, primarily attributed to a shortage of pilots.
Since Tuesday, disruptions have escalated sharply with over 200 flights cancelled on Wednesday alone, following nearly 100 cancellations daily over the past 4–5 days. Some passengers experienced delays extending up to 10 hours.
The chaos intensified as manual check-in, winter-related disruptions, and revised crew-duty regulations collectively triggered nationwide operational bottlenecks, leaving lakhs of travellers stranded or heavily delayed.
India's top airline is facing one of its toughest operational phases in recent months, as more than 200 IndiGo flights were cancelled on Wednesday, with delays reaching up to 10 hours at major airports. This disruption has affected hundreds of thousands of passengers in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and various other cities. during a peak travel season.
IndiGo’s operations, already strained by weeks of poor on-time performance, worsened this week as pilot shortages, tech glitches and rising congestion triggered mass cancellations. In November alone, the airline scrapped 1,232 flights, largely due to crew and FDTL limits.
The DGCA has requested the airline to clarify the unusual disruptions. Government data released on Tuesday, December 2, indicated that its on-time performance was 35%, the lowest among all scheduled airlines in India. IndiGo's reduction in flights has caused airfares to rise significantly.
Check-in slowdowns at Delhi and Hyderabad forced manual processing, long queues, missed flights, and hours-long delays. Initially blamed on a Microsoft outage, the glitches affected IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air, and Air India Express.
Winter fog, schedule changes, congestion, and new crew-rostering rules added to the disruption. Only 35% of IndiGo flights ran on time Tuesday, prompting the DGCA to summon its leadership.
IndiGo has trimmed its schedule for 48 hours, offering refunds or alternatives while teams work to restore normal operations. Passengers are advised to check flight status, arrive early, and expect delays.
Public outcry and widespread inconvenience prompted aviation authorities to act. The DGCA summoned IndiGo’s senior management on Thursday to explain the unprecedented disruptions and outline a recovery plan during India’s peak travel season, with over five lakh daily domestic passengers. “DGCA is investigating the situation and working with the airline to reduce cancellations and delays to minimise passenger inconvenience,” an official said.
