India's largest airline, IndiGo, faced severe operational turmoil for the fifth day in a row on Saturday, December 6, 2025, cancelling more than 400 flights across its network. This massive disruption occurred despite the airline recently securing temporary relaxations in court-mandated crew duty rules.
Ministry Steps In With Strict Directives
The Ministry of Civil Aviation intervened on Saturday, issuing a firm directive to the airline. IndiGo has been ordered to complete all ticket refunds by Sunday evening and ensure the delivery of any misplaced baggage within the next 48 hours. The ministry warned that any delay or non-compliance would result in immediate regulatory action.
This order followed a week of chaos that saw over 1000 IndiGo flights grounded. The root cause is a severe shortage of cockpit crew, triggered by the implementation of the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms. This regulatory change has forced the airline to ground multiple aircraft, leading to nationwide cancellations.
Airport-Wise Breakdown of the Cancellation Crisis
The disruption was not evenly spread, with major metro airports bearing the brunt of the cancellations.
Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport witnessed the most severe impact. A staggering 124 IndiGo flights were cancelled—63 departures and 61 arrivals. This led to significant overcrowding as stranded passengers scrambled to find alternative travel options.
Mumbai and Delhi were next on the list. The financial capital saw 109 cancellations (51 departures, 58 arrivals), while the national capital recorded 106 cancelled flights (54 departures, 52 arrivals).
Other severely affected cities included:
- Hyderabad: 66 flights cancelled, with passengers reporting poor communication from the airline.
- Pune: 42 cancellations (14 inbound, 28 outbound), disrupting plans for students, business travellers, and families.
- Ahmedabad: 72 flights (departures and arrivals) were cancelled on Saturday, with 35 of them being outgoing services.
- Goa (Dabolim): 14 cancellations, many announced at the last minute, worsening crowd situations at the South Goa airport.
Partial Resumption and Lesser-Hit Destinations
There was some relief in certain regions. In Jammu, IndiGo managed to resume nine out of its 11 scheduled flights, offering a way out for passengers stranded for days.
Smaller cities like Vadodara and Rajkot saw minimal disruption. Vadodara had three departures cancelled, while Rajkot only had one Mumbai-bound flight grounded, with seven other services operating normally.
However, challenges persisted in Srinagar, where the airline cancelled 14 flights (seven arrivals and seven departures) due to ongoing rostering issues.
The situation remains fluid, with the airline's social media handle stating that 14 specific flights to destinations like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Delhi were cancelled till Saturday afternoon. The coming days will be critical as IndiGo works to comply with the ministry's orders and stabilise its operations amidst the new regulatory environment.
