IndiGo grounded over 1,800 flights in 48 hours, stranding thousands; Chennai saw 31+ cancellations, with Delhi's entire domestic schedule wiped out Friday.
A Russian couple frets over Coimbatore retreat and Istanbul return amid repeated snags a family misses Goa's wedding deadline.
DGCA's night-duty waiver aids recovery to 95% operations; full refunds mandated by Dec 7, plus hotels and waivers, as rivals step in with extra flights.
IndiGo Chaos Strands Russian Couple
With over 1,000 flights axed in two days, passengers face days-long delays as DGCA grants temporary relief to airline's pilot rest crisis
Summary
IndiGo's operational meltdown entered its fifth day on December 6, 2025, with the airline canceling over 800 flights on Saturday alone, following more than 1,000 axed the previous day, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across major Indian airports including Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. The disruptions stem from compliance with new Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) pilot rest regulations introduced on November 1, which led to widespread crew shortages. In response, the DGCA granted IndiGo a temporary exemption from night-duty limits until February 10, allowing the carrier to ramp up to 1,500 daily flights and restore 95% of its network.
At Chennai airport, where 31 flights were canceled on Friday and additional ones on Saturday, the human toll was evident among the queues of frustrated travelers. A Russian couple, Derina and her husband, found themselves stuck after their morning flight to Coimbatore was scrapped; the pair, already impacted by earlier Delhi disruptions, expressed anxiety over their connecting flight to Istanbul, also operated by IndiGo. "I want to just get back home," Derina told reporters while waiting in line, as they raced against time for a scheduled spiritual retreat in the southern city.
Nearby, a man in his 40s, whose flight to Mumbai was canceled, broke down recounting his urgency to reach his family following his mother's sudden death earlier in the week. He had been trying to secure a seat for three days amid the chaos, pleading with airline staff for priority assistance. Another passenger, Sylvia, waited desperately with her husband for a rescheduled flight to Goa, where they needed to attend her niece's wedding on Sunday; their early morning departure had been abruptly grounded, turning a family celebration into a logistical nightmare.
The airline has rolled out support measures, including full refunds processed by December 7 evening, waivers on rescheduling fees for bookings between December 5 and 15, and arrangements for thousands of hotel rooms, meals, and ground transport nationwide. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu directed IndiGo to establish dedicated refund and grievance cells, while rival carriers like SpiceJet added 100 extra flights to ease the strain.
Advertisement
Published At: