Hundreds of passengers are stranded at airports across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad as IndiGo continues to cancel flights due to "operational disruptions" for the fourth straight day. Passengers at the Delhi airport are complaining about a lack of communication from India's largest airline, IndiGo and the lack of information on their travel plans.
IndiGo's vacant counters, no food, no water, and a struggle to get their luggage add to the challenges faced by passengers. On Friday, as of 10 am, IndiGo had cancelled 523 flights. With 225 flight cancellations, the Delhi airport is witnessing massive disruptions, followed by 104 in Mumbai, 102 in Bengaluru and 92 in Hyderabad. According to the latest passenger advisory, all IndiGo domestic flights departing from the Delhi airport are cancelled till midnight today.
On Thursday, IndiGo cancelled 550 domestic and international flights, the highest in 20 years of its service.
NDTV spoke to distressed passengers at Terminal 2 of the Delhi airport. A couple travelling from Bikaner to Delhi to Patna is currently stranded at the airport, unaware of where to go and what to do next.
Dr Rajesh Tiwari from Bihar allegedly learnt about the flight cancellation after coming to the airport.
"IndiGo issued me a boarding pass. The display board also shows that the flight is on time, but they are not letting us board because of the cancellation. I am waiting here for three hours, and I have no clarity on whether and when I will be able to fly," said Dr Tiwari.
IndiGo is not booking us for another flight. Even if they do, there is a lack of trust, he added. Dr Tiwari and his wife also complained of high flight prices amid IndiGo turbulence.
"We can't book another flight either. The cost is skyrocketing; we are middle class people we cannot afford it," said his wife.
"This is shameful for our country; we have so many foreign tourists, what are they going to say now about our country?" quipped Dr Tiwari.
A travel agent "thanked" IndiGo for sleepless nights, saying that 80 of his international clients, meant to fly to Varanasi, are stranded at the airport. They only learnt about the cancellation after arriving at the airport, he said. Even in their case, the display board shows check-in is on, but the on-ground reality is different.
"I booked all my customers onto IndiGo with the trust that this is the leading airline of the country, known for its on-time performance. But now there is no update, no information and no compensation from IndiGo, and all tourists from across the globe are stranded here," the travel agent added.
Another passenger, travelling from Delhi to Raipur to attend his sister's wedding, was on the way to the airport when he learned about the cancellation.
"IndiGo is saying they might give me a flight tomorrow. There is no connecting flight either. I thought of flying via another airline, but fares are quite high; Air India is charging Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 one way," he said.
One of the passengers also received contradictory messages from IndiGo. While the first message stated the flight was cancelled, the second thanked him for completing web check-in. "We can't wait to welcome you onboard," the message read.
IndiGo Seeks Rules Exemption Till February 10
IndiGo on Thursday issued a "heartfelt apology" to customers and industry stakeholders impacted by widespread disruptions. The airline also sought an exemption for pilot rest and duty norms till February 10, 2026, related to its night duty flights for its A320 fleet.
The airline admitted that it miscalculated crew requirements under the new norms and faced planning gaps, resulting in inadequate crew availability at a time when winter weather and congestion were also affecting operations.
It warned that cancellations are likely to continue for the next two to three days as part of its schedule stabilisation efforts. From December 8, the airline will reduce flight operations to limit further disruption.
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