Chaos and confusion gripped the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi on Friday, December 5, 2025, as the country's largest carrier, IndiGo, cancelled all its domestic departures from the airport until midnight. This unprecedented move has left thousands of passengers stranded, marking a severe escalation of the operational crisis that has plagued the airline for several days.
Airport Authority Issues Official Advisory
The Delhi Airport authority made the situation official through a passenger advisory posted on its social media handle X at 11:10 AM on Friday. The advisory clearly stated that all IndiGo domestic flights departing from Delhi Airport on December 5 are cancelled until midnight. The airport authority assured that its on-ground teams were working with all partners to manage the disruption, while confirming that operations for all other airlines remained unaffected.
In a significant development, official sources from the airport authority revealed that passengers who had already checked in and were inside the terminal building for their IndiGo flights would be escorted outside. An official explained the protocol, stating, "In such a situation, according to the protocol, the airline is responsible for escorting the passengers out of the terminal." The official strongly advised passengers to head back home or to their hotels, as no flights would operate until midnight, and to reconfirm their flight status with the airline before returning to the airport.
The Root Cause: Crew Shortages and New FDTL Norms
The primary driver behind this massive operational meltdown is a severe crew shortage faced by IndiGo. This crisis has been triggered by the implementation of the second and final phase of the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms last month. The revised rules mandate stricter rest periods and duty hours for flight crew, and IndiGo appears to have been caught ill-prepared for the logistical challenge, despite being forewarned.
The cascading effect of this shortage is starkly visible in the airline's on-time performance (OTP) data. On Wednesday, December 3, only 19.7% of IndiGo's flights operated on time. This was a drastic fall from an OTP of 35% on Tuesday and approximately 50% on Monday. The disruption, which began earlier in the week, has now culminated in the complete suspension of domestic departures from its key Delhi hub.
Airline's Response and Passenger Fallout
Facing intense criticism, IndiGo issued a public apology on its X handle on Thursday. The airline acknowledged the "widespread disruption across IndiGo's network and operations" over the preceding two days. It expressed a heartfelt apology to customers and industry stakeholders, adding that its teams were working diligently with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and airport operators to restore normalcy.
However, for passengers at Delhi Airport, the apology offered little solace. Scenes of long queues, frustrated travellers, and uncertainty dominated the terminals. The advisory to leave the airport and return only after confirmation has added to the inconvenience, especially for those who had travelled from far-off places. The impact is magnified by IndiGo's dominant market share, as the airline commands over 60% of India's domestic passenger traffic.
This episode raises serious questions about airline preparedness for regulatory changes and highlights the vulnerability of India's aviation infrastructure to disruptions from a single major player. As authorities scramble to mitigate the situation, the focus remains on when IndiGo will be able to stabilise its operations and what compensatory measures will be offered to the affected passengers.
