IndiGo woes : slight improvement of the situation at Indian airports

Chaos continued at India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo, on Sunday. Despite a slight improvement, the carrier still canceled 650 flights on December 7. The cancelled flights extend a nationwide operational breakdown that has now stretched into its sixth consecutive day and disrupted travel plans for tens of thousands of passengers.

Terminals across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and several regional airports remained packed as travelers faced last-minute cancellations, hours-long delays, long refund lines, and scarce alternatives. On Sunday, IndiGo operated only 1,650 flights, compared with its usual 2,300.

System under strain

The crisis began earlier in the week when the airline’s already-tight scheduling unraveled under the enforcement of new pilot rest and duty-time regulations issued by India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The rules expand mandatory weekly rest periods and impose stricter limits on night operations—measures designed to reduce fatigue.

For IndiGo, which runs a high-utilization, lean-staffing model, the abrupt compliance requirement triggered cascading crew shortages. The result: over 2,000 cancellations since Tuesday, with OTP (on-time performance) plunging to single digits at some major airports.

Sunday’s cancellations showcased the scale of the disruption:

• Hyderabad: 115 flights canceled

• Mumbai: 112 flights canceled

• Delhi: 109 flights canceled

• Chennai: 38 flights canceled

• Amritsar: 11 flights canceled

Passengers reported sleeping on terminal floors, missed connections, lost hotel bookings, and hours of “mental harassment,” as one minister described.

At Delhi airport, officials issued multiple advisories urging travelers to check flight status before leaving home, while airports in Agartala, Trichy, Kolkata, and Chennai reported varying degrees of disruption.

Government steps in

As public frustration mounted, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, demanding an explanation for what it called the most severe aviation breakdown India has faced in years.

The civil aviation ministry also ordered IndiGo to clear all pending refunds by 8 p.m. on Sunday, after reports that passengers were unable to secure rebookings or immediate reimbursements. As airfares on competing airlines spiked, the government temporarily capped domestic ticket prices to prevent price gouging on high-demand routes.

Regulators simultaneously put together a special committee to review the causes of the meltdown, while granting IndiGo limited temporary exemptions from certain stringent duty-time provisions to help stabilize operations.

Turning into a national crisis

The airline issued several statements throughout the weekend, apologizing for the “significant inconvenience” and insisting it is doing “everything possible” to restore normal operations. IndiGo says it expects its schedule to begin stabilizing by December 10, with full normalization planned by mid-February.

It has waived fees for cancellations or date changes for passengers flying between December 5 and 15 and has promised automatic refunds, as well as meals, hotel stays, and baggage support where applicable.

The chaos has rippled beyond the aviation sector. Legislators and government officials reported scrambling to reach state assemblies, and the Northeast Frontier Railway even announced special trains to help stranded travelers.

With IndiGo controlling nearly 60% of India’s domestic market, the crisis has revealed the vulnerability of a system dependent on an over-dominant carrier operating with little scheduling buffer.