Day 5 of IndiGo turmoil: Over 400 flights cancelled across four major airports top developments

NEW DELHI: IndiGo’s flight chaos deepened on Saturday, with the airline scrapping more than 400 flights across four major airports, even after it secured temporary relief from the new court-ordered pilot duty and rest rules just a day earlier, PTI news agency quoted sources.

Of these cancellations, Bengaluru airport accounted for 124 flights—63 departures and 61 arrivals—while Mumbai saw 109 cancellations, including 51 departures and 58 arrivals. Delhi airport reported 106 cancellations, with 54 departures and 52 arrivals affected. In Hyderabad, IndiGo cancelled 66 flights, the PTI sources added.

The disruptions, which began earlier this week, have continued due to pilot-rostering problems, leading to widespread cancellations across the country.

Delhi, Mumbai see over 200 flight cancellations More than 200 flights were cancelled on Saturday from just two major cities—Delhi and Mumbai—a day after airlines received temporary relaxations in the second phase of the court-mandated flight duty and rest rules for pilots, sources said.

According to officials, Mumbai saw 109 IndiGo cancellations, including 51 arrivals and 58 departures. At Delhi airport, 106 IndiGo flights were cancelled, with 54 departures and 52 arrivals affected.

This thing shouldnt be left unattended: Ram Mohan Naidu Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday said that the government will not ignore the massive disruptions faced by IndiGo airlines, stressing that this thing shouldnt be left unattended.

He said a committee has been formed to investigate the issue and necessary action will be taken against those responsible.

Speaking about the situation, the minister said, The immediate priority for us is to bring back normalcy and provide all the support to the passengers.

He also added that the ministry is closely monitoring all operational aspects. We are deeply observing this, and observing the FDTL norms, scheduling network. We will thoroughly look into this and ensure that all airlines follow due diligence.

The minister further confirmed that a formal probe has been launched. We have formed a committee which will inquire into all this so that they can establish where things went wrong and who did it wrong. We are going to take necessary action on that also. This thing shouldnt be left unattended. We are taking strict action on this, so that whoever was responsible into this needs to pay for it.

Widespread cancellations across major cities

On Saturday morning, Thiruvananthapuram airport reported six cancellations -- three arrivals and three departures. In Ahmedabad, seven arrivals and 12 departures were cancelled.

At Mumbai airport, passengers remained stranded as IndiGo struggled to stabilise operations. Long queues were also seen at Chennai airport, where several flights were cancelled.

14 arrivals and 28 departures of IndiGo cancelled at Pune Airport on Saturday.

IndiGo cancels over 1,000 flights

IndiGo, which usually handles about two-thirds of India’s domestic air traffic and operates around 2,300 flights daily, cancelled more than 1,000 flights on Friday alone as crew shortages continued.

DGCA steps in with emergency measures

Aviation regulator DGCA issued new orders on Friday to help stabilise the situation. The authority granted exemptions in Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) and other relaxations so IndiGo can deploy more pilots and reduce delays.

The DGCA said the exemptions were aimed at restoring normal operations “at the earliest.”

We are sorry: IndiGo

The airline apologised on X, saying it would automatically process refunds and provide full waivers for cancellations or rescheduling for travel between December 5 and December 15, 2025.

The airline added, Kindly check the flight status on our website and the notifications sent to you. Please do not come to the airport if your flight is cancelled...

IndiGo assured passengers of multiple support measures, stating, We will ensure that all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment. Full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests for bookings between December 5-15, 2025.

Thousands of hotel rooms and surface transport arranged for stranded customers. Food and snacks being provided at airports. Lounge access being arranged for senior citizens wherever possible. The airline requested passengers to avoid travelling to the airport if their flight is cancelled and advised them to use its website and AI assistant for updates, refunds and rebookings, the Airline said.

IndiGo added that it has significantly expanded its contact centre capacity to reduce wait times, stating, We want you to know that you will see incremental progress. We will do everything to earn back your trust... We cant lose it at any cost.

Operations slowly returning to normal

Delhi airport released a statement saying operations were improving: We are glad to update that IndiGo flight operations are now steadily resuming and getting back to normalcy following the brief disruption. Please check the status of your booking and flight before leaving from home...

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