IndiGo’s ‘Operational Crisis’ Triggers More Than 1,000 Cancellations; Airline Says Normalcy to Return Next Week

IndiGo has been grappling with what it calls an “operational crisis” over the past few days, culminating in well over 1,000 flight cancellations on Friday alone. Chaos unfolded at major airports across the country — including Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru — as passengers struggled to rebook flights and seek assistance.

India’s largest airline attributed the disruption to a “multitude of unforeseen operational challenges,” including minor technical glitches, winter schedule adjustments and adverse weather.

However, aviation insiders and regulators have pointed to a different cause: the implementation of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) — new rest rules for flight crews meant to prevent pilot fatigue. Although introduced in January 2024, the rules were not strictly enforced until now. The DGCA has blamed the meltdown on IndiGo’s “misjudgment and gap in planning” while rolling out the norms.

Key Developments

Delhi airport says operations stabilising:
Indira Gandhi International Airport announced late Friday that IndiGo flights were “steadily resuming” and urged passengers to check their flight status before heading out.

IndiGo issues fresh apology:
In a post on X, IndiGo apologized again for the disruptions, saying the issues would not be resolved “overnight” but that the airline was working urgently to restore normal operations.

Cancellations expected to fall below 1,000 on Saturday:
CEO Pieter Elbers, in a video message, said cancellations were expected to drop on Saturday and predicted a return to normalcy between December 10 and 15. He called December 5 the “most severely impacted day,” with more than 1,000 flights cancelled.

Airline working to reboot schedules:
IndiGo said teams were working to reset systems and realign schedules in coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA to ensure “progressive improvement” starting Saturday.

Full refunds offered:
Passengers with bookings from December 5 to December 15, 2025, can avail a full waiver on cancellations and rescheduling, the airline announced.

IndiGo, which operates more than half of India’s domestic flights, is now racing to restore stability heading into one of the busiest travel periods of the year.