India's largest carrier, IndiGo, is facing a severe public relations crisis and operational meltdown, with a wave of flight cancellations and delays over the past several days stranding thousands of passengers. The situation has escalated to a point where several Bollywood celebrities have taken to social media to express their fury and share their harrowing experiences.
Celebrity Outrage Goes Viral
The travel chaos, which began around December 3, 2025, did not spare the rich and famous. Dancer-actor Lauren Gottlieb delivered a scathing public critique outside Mumbai airport after her flight to Dubai on Friday was abruptly cancelled. Visibly distressed, she told waiting paparazzi, "This is a public service announcement. Do not take IndiGo." She described the scene inside the terminal as apocalyptic, adding, "It looks like some disaster has happened and I feel trauma right now. Do not fly IndiGo, especially now, maybe not ever."
Actor and television host Jay Bhanushali shared his ordeal on Instagram Stories. His travel plans were so disrupted that he had to embark on an unplanned road trip to Pantnagar to catch a late-night flight back to Mumbai. He sarcastically thanked the airline for the "unplanned extended trip."
Spillover Effect: Competitors Hike Fares
The crisis had a ripple effect on the entire domestic aviation market. Actor Aly Goni highlighted another painful consequence for stranded passengers: predatory fare hikes by other airlines. He called out competing carriers for tripling their ticket prices, labeling the situation "chor aviation" (thieving aviation). However, Goni also showed empathy for IndiGo's ground staff, urging the public not to direct their anger at them, as the fault lay with the airline's management and operational failures.
They were not alone. Earlier, other personalities like actor Nia Sharma and singer Rahul Vaidya had also complained about having to pay exorbitant last-minute fares on Air India to reach their destinations.
The Scale of the Disruption
The root of this nationwide travel nightmare is staggering in scale. Reports confirm that more than 1,000 IndiGo flights have been cancelled over a four-day period. The disruptions have crippled major aviation hubs including:
- Delhi
- Bengaluru
- Hyderabad
Hundreds of departures and arrivals were scrapped in rapid succession, leading to chaotic scenes at airports with frustrated passengers crowding terminals. While IndiGo has issued two separate apologies, citing 'operational issues' and 'crew shortage' as primary reasons, the apologies have done little to quell the anger of those left in the lurch.
The ongoing IndiGo crisis underscores a harsh reality of the Indian aviation sector: when operations fail, passengers bear the full brunt of the damage through missed events, extra costs, and immense stress, while airlines face limited immediate accountability. The vocal criticism from celebrities has amplified the issue, putting immense pressure on the airline to resolve its operational vulnerabilities and restore passenger trust swiftly.
