IndiGo Flight Cancellations Surge Across India

IndiGo flight cancellations trigger nationwide travel disruption

India’s largest airline continues to face massive operational breakdowns as IndiGo flight cancellations crossed 1,300 in four days, with Delhi emerging as the worst-hit airport. Conflicting statements from authorities have left passengers anxious, stranded, and confused amid one of the biggest aviation crises the country has seen in recent years.

All IndiGo Domestic Flights From Delhi Cancelled Till Midnight

Early Friday morning, Delhi Airport announced that all IndiGo domestic flights departing from Delhi had been cancelled till midnight. Almost simultaneously, DGCA sources said the cancellations were only till 3 pm — deepening passenger confusion.

This chaos follows the DGCA’s red flag over a severe shortage of IndiGo ground staff at Terminal 1, which failed to handle the massive surge of stranded travellers.

IndiGo Flight Cancellations Hit Record Levels

IndiGo cancelled over 550 flights on Thursday, the highest single-day cancellations in its history. On Friday, the airline again scrapped more than 500 services, including all Delhi outbound flights.

Since Tuesday, nearly 1,300 flights have been cancelled, and the airline has warned that disruptions will continue until December 8.

Why IndiGo Flight Cancellations Are Increasing

The crisis stems from the airline miscalculating pilot availability under new FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) rules:

Mandatory weekly rest increased from 36 to 48 hours
Reduced maximum consecutive duty hours
Night flight caps
Two-phase implementation (July 1 and November 1)

These changes meant IndiGo suddenly lacked enough pilots and crew to operate its massive network of more than 2,200 daily flights.

Those marked “on duty” in earlier rosters were no longer legally permitted to fly.

Management Under Fire

IndiGo has requested an exemption from the new norms until February 10, 2026, to recruit more crew and stabilise operations.
CEO Pieter Elbers apologised to passengers, calling the recovery effort “not easy”.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Pilots criticised IndiGo’s “lean manpower strategy” and urged the airline to “fix management practices”.

The IndiGo flight cancellations crisis has exposed the fragile balance in India’s aviation sector. With no immediate relief in sight, passengers remain at the receiving end of a breakdown triggered by manpower shortages, regulatory changes, and operational overstretching.