Piles Of Suitcases, Passenger Chaos As IndiGo Cancels Record 500 Flights

Angry passengers struggling to get their luggage for over 12 hours, no food, no water, and IndiGo's vacant counters - chaotic scenes continued at airports across India as one of the country's biggest airlines battled with operational issues leading to over 500 flight cancellations.

NDTV witnessed the situation on the ground where thousands of suitcases were seen lying at the Delhi airport terminal.

Many fliers slept on the ground, while others had angry outbursts and raised slogans against the airlines. 

Calling it a "mental torture" by IndiGo, a passenger told NDTV that he is not getting any clarification from the airlines even after 12 hours. "I'm here for over 12 hours. Every time they are telling us one-hour delays, two-hour delays. We were going to a wedding, and we didn't even have our luggage. IndiGo staff is not telling us anything. Worst airlines right now. I don't understand why they are taking new passengers and stocking up luggage," he said.

Another passenger said he had been waiting at the airport since last afternoon. "They kept delaying the flight. We have no clarification from IndiGo," he said.

"It's very stressful. It's been 14 hours since I've been sitting here at the airport. There are no coupons for food or anything. My connecting flight got cancelled. People are shouting and howling, but the staff is not giving any clarification. The staff is not trained at all to handle such emergencies," another flier said.

Similar scenes ensued at the Hyderabad airport, where stranded passengers had angry outbursts as they were not provided with any food or accommodation. A group of fliers also blocked an Air India flight to protest. 

"My take off was yesterday at 7:30 pm. I reached the airport with my father around 6 pm. We were told that the flight was on time. Now it's been over 12 hours since we were here. IndiGo has given us no clarity. They have been telling us it's been delayed indefinitely. We have not been provided with any clarity, food, or water. There's absolutely an abysmal response from IndiGo. There are senior citizens, people with commitments who have no real solution. It's quite ridiculous," a passenger at the Hyderabad airport said.

A group of passengers had a meltdown at the Goa airport, with a video showing them shouting at the IndiGo staff. Many cops were also seen trying to calm the situation.

At Chennai airport, hundreds of passengers have been stranded, with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) denying entry to IndiGo fliers.

At least 49 departures and 43 arrivals have been cancelled at the Vishakhapatnam airport.

The Pune Airport, in a statement, said that a total of IndiGo's16 arrivals and 16 departures have been cancelled today. "One NAG-PNQ flight was diverted to Hyderabad due to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). Operations of all other airlines remained unaffected, and they were accommodated without any disruptions. Parking bay congestion persisted as several IndiGo aircraft continued to occupy bays while awaiting operating crew availability. This resulted in limited bay availability and caused sequential delays to subsequent arrivals and departures across multiple carriers," it said.

"In view of the ongoing airline operational disruptions affecting flight schedules, Pune Airport confirms that all airport teams remain fully mobilised across operations, terminal management, security, apron services, and passenger facilitation to ensure uninterrupted support and smooth terminal functioning. Additional manpower has been deployed during night hours to supervise ground operations and coordinate closely with all stakeholders to uphold passenger safety, ensure better crowd management, and provide real-time assistance throughout the terminal," the airport said.

It added, "Pune Airport continues to work in close coordination with airlines, ground handling agencies, Air Traffic Control, CISF, and terminal service partners to effectively manage congestion, enhance passenger facilitation, and support the earliest possible restoration of normal flight operations. Passenger welfare remains our utmost priority, and we sincerely appreciate the patience and cooperation of all travellers during this period."

IndiGo to cancel more flights

IndiGo's operational disruptions continued for the fourth straight day today. The 20-year-old airline, in a record, cancelled over 550 flights amid a multitude of factors, including cabin crew woes and technology issues. Of these, 104 flights were cancelled at Mumbai airport, 225 at Delhi airport, 102 in Bengaluru, and 92 in Hyderabad. At least five flights have been cancelled at the Bhopal airport.

IndiGo has admitted that it misjudged 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. The airline told the Civil Aviation Ministry and the regulator, DCGA, that the definition of night duty, being revised from midnight to 5 am to midnight to 6 am, has been rolled back temporarily. Additionally, the cap on night landings to two is also temporarily on hold.

The airline has warned that cancellations are likely to continue for the next two to three days as part of schedule stabilisation efforts. From December 8, the airline will reduce flight operations to limit further disruption, it said.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, on the other hand, has told staff that normalising operations and restoring punctuality will not be an "easy target".

IndiGo issues apology

The airline issued a fresh apology to its customers and stakeholders last night.

"The last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo's network and operations. We extend a heartfelt apology to all our customers and industry stakeholders who have been impacted by these events," it said in a statement.

It added, "IndiGo teams are working diligently and making all efforts with the support of MOCA, DGCA, BCAS, AAI and airport operators to reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy."