IndiGo hit a massive operational snag over the past few days resulting in massive flight cancellations. Driven by new regulations aimed at improving pilot rest and safety, the airline found itself suddenly unable to staff many scheduled flights. By 5 December, more than 750 flights had been cancelled, including all 235 flights at the national capital's airport which were grounded that day.
Across major airports in Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and more, travellers have reported confusion, long queues and anger. With hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed, they have been stranded for hours, and in some cases, overnight. Passengers have taken to social media to share scenes from the airport highlighting scarce updates from staff, lack of clarity on next flights, and inadequate support. Airport facilities such as lounges, waiting areas, and charging points have been overwhelmed. For late-night arrivals or rescheduled flights, this is particularly worrisome for safety, especially for women travellers.
Other domestic airlines like Air India and SpiceJet currently appear to be operating with far fewer disruptions. However, they aren't a reliable fallback for most travellers. While they have largely avoided the mass flight cancellations, demand for seats on rival carriers has soared and so has pressure on their seat availability.
With hundreds of flights cancelled, travellers scrambling for alternate flights are facing fare hikes. On flight booking platforms like MakeMyTrip and Cleartrip, airfares on alternate airlines for popular routes have surged dramatically. On some routes, like Mumbai to Delhi, seats that would normally cost around Rs20,000 at the last minute are now priced two to three times higher. Booking a direct flight on that same route today, for instance, costs Rs40,600.
If your flight with IndiGo was cancelled, IndiGo will offer full refunds or alternate flights. For travellers booked between December 5 and December 15, they have also announced a full waiver on cancellation or rescheduling fees. In some cases, they are also reportedly arranging hotel accommodation, surface transport, and meals or snacks for stranded passengers to offer temporary support. IndiGo has advised anyone with bookings to check flight status online before heading to the airport to avoid further congestion.
To ease the immediate crisis, DGCA has temporarily withdrawn certain parts of the pilot-rest regulations, including the clause that barred using leave to substitute for weekly rest, for the airline's A320 fleet. These relaxations are meant to give IndiGo breathing room to rework crew scheduling. IndiGo has informed authorities it aims to fully restore stable operations by February 10, 2026. Flights are being selectively rescheduled or cancelled, crew is being reallocated, and network capacity is being reduced until stability returns.