IndiGo flight cancellation: Govt orders high-level inquiry, grants certain exemptions from FDTL norm

Central Railway on Friday announced it will run six special trains on key long-distance routes on December 6 and 7 to clear the extra rush of passengers due to widespread flight cancellations across the country. CR chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said the special services will operate on Pune-SMVT Bengaluru (Dec 6), Pune-New Delhi (Dec 7), Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Madgaon (Dec 7), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-New Delhi (Dec 6), Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Lucknow (Dec 6) and Nagpur-CSMT (Dec 6) routes to clear extra rush of passengers. At the national level, Indian Railways has announced to augment a total of 37 trains with 116 additional coaches, operating over 114 augmented trips across the network to meet the travel demand.

IndiGo cancelLed more than 1,000 flights on December 5 as operational disruptions continued to affect thousands of passengers across major airports nationwide. The country’s largest airline, which operates about two-thirds of domestic flights—roughly 2,300 flights daily—struggled to manage the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms introduced on November 1, resulting in severe delays and cancellations. Frustrated travelers vented on social media, while ticket prices surged on many routes. In response, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted IndiGo temporary relief from certain FDTL requirements, including night landing restrictions, to help restore normal operations. IndiGo expects its flight schedules to stabilize within the next 10 days as authorities continue to investigate the disruptions.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu stated that the disruptions caused by IndiGo flight delays and cancellations are showing signs of improvement. He expressed optimism that by December 6, flight schedules will stabilize and passengers will no longer face long waits or congestion at airports. The minister confirmed that a high-level committee has been formed to investigate the causes of the disruptions and determine where failures occurred. Restoring normal operations and providing support to affected travelers remain the government’s top priorities.

Following the cancellation of all IndiGo flights from Delhi, the Indian Railways has announced the operation of five special trains on demand. These include one train from New Delhi to Howrah and Mumbai, one from Sarai Rohilla to Sabarmati, one from Nizamuddin to Trivandrum, and two trains running between Delhi and Mumbai to accommodate stranded passengers.

Mumbai Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Varsha Gaikwad has called for a high-level investigation into the widespread disruptions of IndiGo flight operations nationwide over the past three days. Speaking at Mumbai airport after engaging with stranded passengers, Gaikwad highlighted severe hardships faced by senior citizens, women, and children who endured long waits without basic amenities like information, food, or water. She condemned the Civil Aviation Ministry for failing to act amid the crisis and accused airlines of exploiting the situation by charging exorbitant fares of Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 for tickets that ordinarily cost approximately Rs 5,000.

Passengers at Bhubaneswar airport are facing significant inconvenience as IndiGo flights across the nation experience widespread cancellations and operational disruptions, leaving many travelers stranded and seeking alternatives.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said, "A high-level inquiry has also been instituted into the ongoing disruptions caused by the delays and cancellations of IndiGo flights. Accountability will be fixed and measures will be taken to prevent future disruptions. Passenger comfort and safety continue to remain the highest priority of the Government."

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has established a four-member committee to thoroughly examine the causes behind the widespread disruptions in IndiGo flight operations. The panel, comprising Joint Director General Sanjay K Bramhane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, Senior Flight Operations Inspector Captain Kapil Manglik, and Flight Operations Inspector Captain Rampal, has been tasked with submitting a detailed report within 15 days. The investigation aims to identify lapses in internal oversight, operational readiness, and compliance measures. Findings from the committee will guide necessary regulatory actions and institutional improvements to prevent similar issues in the future.

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In response to the ongoing disruptions in IndiGo flight operations, the government has kept new flight duty norms in abeyance and implemented various operational measures to stabilise services. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu announced a high-level inquiry to identify the causes and assign accountability for the disturbances. He expressed confidence that flight schedules will begin normalizing by tomorrow, with full restoration of services expected within the next three days.

IndiGo flight cancellations, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said, "Rahul Gandhi keeps warning the government from time to time about such issues, but the government is not ready to accept them. Now, the issue has escalated and has come before the people. As IndiGo flights have been cancelled, the fares of other airlines have increased. The public is facing troubles, and the government is showing no concern."

All IndiGo flights departing from Bangalore to Delhi and Mumbai have been cancelled, causing widespread travel disruptions for passengers on these popular routes.

In response to the disruption of IndiGo flight services, Northern Railway has decided to add additional coaches to four key trains to facilitate passenger convenience. The measures include adding one 3A coach to train numbers 12425/26 Jat Raj and 12424/23 DBRT Raj (linked with Jat Raj), as well as one Chair Car (CC) coach each to the Chandigarh Shatabdi 12045/46 and Amritsar Shatabdi 12030/29.

1. Augmentation of one 3A coach in 12425/26 Jat Raj.

2. Augmentation of one 3A coach in 12424/23 DBRT Raj.(Link rake of JAT Raj)

3. Augmentation of one CC coach in CDG shatabdi 12045/46 .

4. Augmentation of one CC coach in ASR shatabdi 12030/29.

A significant number of IndiGo flights at Hyderabad Airport have been canceled, with 84 departure flights and 71 arrival flights affected. This disruption has caused considerable inconvenience for travelers, leading to delays and rescheduling challenges across the airport.

On IndiGo flight cancellations, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram says, "DGCA had earlier given a directive to airlines to enforce a mandatory rest period for flying crew. And when they gave that directive, they should have done an impact assessment. The airline concerned, particularly IndiGo, also knew about the directive well in advance. So this is a failure on both parts of the DGCA and the airline in not complying with the directive that was issued. Why did they not enforce this directive well in time? So there are many questions which need to be answered. So, merely withdrawing the directive and letting the airline go back to the status quo, where they can deploy their personnel under the old regime, does not solve the problem. The answers have to come from the DGCA, from the minister, and from the airline."

After several IndiGo flights were canceled at Jaipur Airport, crowds of passengers have gathered. Travelers heading to Surat say they missed their scheduled flights and IndiGo has not provided any clear information. Many are unable to afford the high costs of alternative flights. A couple who came from Bangalore to Jaipur for a wedding had their return flight canceled. IndiGo informed them that the next available flight is on the 8th. Mrinal mentioned that tickets on other airlines are showing prices between 30,000 to 40,000 rupees, which exceeds their salary, leaving them uncertain about what to do. There were also scenes of people shouting inside the IndiGo office at the walk-through point.

As per reports, the fare for the evening Indigo flight from Delhi to Chennai is showing as more than Rs 1,00,000. 

At Chandigarh Airport, around 13 IndiGo flights have been cancelled. However, there isn't a large crowd of passengers at the airport. Passengers report that they are facing significant difficulties. One traveller who was supposed to go to Bangalore mentioned that the airline is charging Rs 30,000 for an alternative flight.

As per the directions of Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, the control room at the Ministry has been continuously engaging to maintain constant vigil over the unprecedented situation arising from the cancellation and delays of IndiGo flights. This morning, Minister visited the control room and reviewed its functioning to ensure seamless communication among all stakeholders with a special focus on providing timely information to passengers. Real-time updates from all airports are being monitored to ensure adequate response and deployment of resources, particularly for facilitating passengers stranded at various terminals. Data from airport operators, airlines and ATC is being consolidated and shared with all airlines, especially IndiGo along with necessary directives to mobilize resources and ensure timely, proactive action to ensure that normalcy of operations is restored at all airports across the country.

A passenger said, "They have been cancelling my flight for three days. My flight was scheduled for yesterday at 4:15 pm, then it was rescheduled to 10:30 am today. It has again been cancelled. Now, they are saying they will refund the amount. I had booked my ticket two months in advance. They should have made alternate arrangments but instead they are just refunding the money. I was going from Jammu to Delhi and then to Pune. All my tickets have been cancelled.".

IndiGo on Friday announced a set of relief measures for thousands of passengers stranded across the country, saying it will offer alternative flight options, hotel accommodation and full refunds to those affected by the ongoing mass cancellations and delays.

The airline also confirmed that all domestic departures from Delhi Airport on December 5 are cancelled until 11.59 pm, and issued what it described as its profound apologies to customers impacted by the disruption.

DGCA - the aviation regulator has reversed a key component of the updated crew rostering rules as IndiGo continued to face widespread flight disruptions for the third consecutive day. With IndiGo cancelling more than 700 flights on Friday and severe chaos unfolding across airports, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has withdrawn the rule that barred airlines from counting crew and pilot leave days as part of their weekly rest.

All airlines are fully booked and people have been facing severe difficulties to travel amid IndiGo chaos. Besides, ticket prices have spikes abruptly on all key routes.  

DGCA has scrapped the rule on rest of crew members amid mass cancellation of IndiGo flights across India. 

"In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations...the instruction contained in the referenced paragraph that no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect," a notice in this regard read.

Namita, stranded at Kempegowda International Airport while travelling to Haridwar for her father's asthi visarjan, described her distress at the situation. She said she was carrying her father's asthi and needed to reach Delhi from Bengaluru, then take a connecting flight to Dehradun to continue to Haridwar. The ritual was scheduled for the next day.

She said the flight was cancelled without any prior notification, and airline staff later informed passengers that no flights were available for the day. They were advised to book tickets on other airlines, but fares had risen to Rss 60,000 per person, which she said she could not afford.

A large number of passengers were spotted stranded at the Goa International Airport in Dabolim on Friday as the IndiGo crisis hit airports across the country, leading to cancellations of more than 600 flights in a single day.

Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday hit out at the Centre over IndiGo flight cancellations and delays and the sheer inconvenience it has caused to thousands of fliers. In a post X, Thackeray  said, "Will the government step in, ensure reimbursement/ refund of ticket charges? Any penalty for such nonsensical behaviour?  Any penalty for all the lost time?"

Passengers at Bengaluru Airport continued to face difficulties today as IndiGo flights were cancelled without prior notice. One family was unable to travel to Haridwar for an ashes immersion ceremony after their flight was cancelled. The IndiGo flight was scheduled for 11:45 am, but while they were on their way to the airport, the daughter received a message saying their tickets had been cancelled. The sudden decision left the family shocked.

IndiGo recorded more than 1,200 flight cancellations this week alone, while its on time performance dropped to 67.70 percent in November, down from 84.1 percent in October, according to data submitted to the DGCA and shared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

More than half of IndiGo passengers experienced problems with the airline’s timeliness over the past year, according to a recent LocalCircles survey.

The survey gathered over 15,000 responses from travellers across 301 districts and found that 54 percent reported issues with punctuality and staff behaviour, while 45 percent said there were gaps in timely communication and transparency.

IndiGo’s operational crisis continued to spiral on December 5, triggering widespread flight cancellations across the country and causing massive disruption for passengers. Staffing shortages, technical issues and network imbalance led to one of the airline’s worst single day breakdowns, with total cancellations touching 600.

Key cancellations on December 5

• Delhi 225
• Hyderabad 92
• Bengaluru 102
• Mumbai 104
• Chennai 31
• Pune 22
• Srinagar 10

Total cancellations today: 600 flights

Passengers at several airports expressed deep frustration over the widespread disruption, which has left many stranded without clear updates or alternative travel options. Travellers said the delays, linked to staff shortages and new regulations for crew members, had forced them to wait for hours without proper communication, food or water.

Speaking to ANI, one passenger said they had received no communication from the airline and that fares on other carriers had doubled.

 A large number of passengers are inconvenienced across the country, as IndiGo flights are facing delays and cancellations.

With IndiGo unable to stabilise operations for the third consecutive day, at least 15 flights were cancelled and 25 delayed at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Mohali, on Thursday.

Among the delayed departures was the Chandigarh Mumbai flight, scheduled for 5.20 am but departing at 8.05 am. A Chennai bound flight scheduled for 7.20 am was pushed to 3.55 pm. Flights to Leh and Ahmedabad, scheduled for 11.45 am and 12.05 pm, were still awaiting departure at 3.30 pm. The most severe delay was on the Chandigarh Chennai route, which saw a delay of nine hours.

All departure flights from Delhi have been cancelled until 23:59 on Friday, adding to the chaos already unfolding at major airports. Passengers at IGI Airport were informed of the blanket shutdown as the situation grew worse through the day.

IndiGo normally operates around 235 departures from Delhi, leaving hundreds of travellers with no choice but to wait, rebook or search for other travel options.

As the IndiGO crisis continues to unfold and affect flights operations, the Delhi Airport on Friday announced that all departures of the airline have been cancelled till Friday, 11.59 pm.

GMR has announced that all IndiGo flight departures from the Delih Airport have been cancelled till 3 pm as the airline struggles with flight cancellations for the third consecutive day.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that the IndiGo disruption is the result of the government's “monopoly model” and argued that India deserves fair competition in every sector, not what he described as match fixing monopolies.

Shiv Sena UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday gave notice in Rajya Sabha to raise the matter of Indigo flight cancellations and the widespread inconvenience to passengers.

An airline spokesperson said IndiGo’s operations have been “significantly disrupted across the network for the past two days” due to a combination of factors, including technical glitches, adverse weather, increased congestion and the implementation of updated Flight Duty Time Limitations introduced in November.

Kolkata airport saw major disruption from December 3 to 5, with IndiGo reporting 320 delayed movements and 92 cancellations up to 9 am on Friday. Over the three days, the airline had 468 scheduled arrivals and departures.