BENGALURU: India’s busiest airports continued to remain in disarray on Friday as IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, struggled to contain its worst-ever operational crisis. December 6 marked the fifth straight day of widespread cancellations and delays, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the nation. The disruption, triggered primarily by severe crew shortages linked to the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms, has been compounded by winter fog, technical issues, and heavy passenger traffic. Metro hubs including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad have been the most severely affected, with hundreds of flights grounded every day.
Airports under strain as cancellations mount
The nationwide disruption began earlier this week when IndiGo’s crew roster was thrown off balance following the implementation of the new FDTL norms. These rules, designed to improve pilot and cabin crew rest periods, have inadvertently resulted in a shortage of operational crew as the airline failed to recalibrate its scheduling in time.
Simultaneously, thick winter fog in northern regions, particularly Delhi, drastically reduced visibility, limiting flight movements during peak morning hours. Technical glitches in IndiGo’s internal systems added another layer of complexity, leading to further cancellations.
With a large number of flights cancelled at short notice, passengers flocking to airports found themselves stranded without clarity on rebooking options. Fares on alternate flights shot up sharply, with some last-minute tickets costing several times higher than usual.
Viral video from Bengaluru airport brings relief amid frustration
Amid rising public anger, a heartwarming video from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport stood out and sparked discussions online. The clip showed airport ground staff distributing tea, coffee, snacks and water to stranded passengers waiting for updates on their flights.
The caption shared by the user read: “After 400 plus flights cancelled, but IndiGo not providing any service or sorry. This is from Bengaluru airport. Bengaluru airport staff are offering water, snacks, tea or coffee to passengers who were suffering from inconvenience.”
The on-screen text in the video added: “Hats off to Bengaluru airport staff.”
The video resonated widely with viewers who praised the airport staff for stepping in where the airline had allegedly fallen short.
One user wrote, “It’s the culture of Karnataka and Bengaluru.”
Another urged passengers not to blame frontline employees: “Please refrain from blaming the ground staff. They are genuinely doing their best to assist you.”
Others called the gesture “positivity in the middle of chaos”, while several emphasised the dedication of Bengaluru’s airport workforce.
Passengers express concerns and anger
While the viral video offered a moment of relief, the prevailing sentiment across airports has been deep frustration. Many passengers complained online about the lack of timely communication from IndiGo, long queues at helpdesks and confusion regarding refunds.
Some shared accounts of elderly travellers waiting for hours without assistance, while others described missing connecting flights, weddings or crucial business commitments due to last-minute cancellations.
Airlines typically provide meals and accommodation in case of prolonged delays; however, multiple passengers claimed that no such support was offered in this case — prompting further anger and raising questions on passenger rights.
IndiGo issues apology, assures normalcy soon
On Friday, IndiGo released an official statement on X, expressing regret for the ongoing disruptions. “We do deeply apologise and understand how difficult the past few days have been for many of you. While this will not get resolved overnight, we assure you that we will do everything in our capacity to help you… and bring our operations back to normal at the earliest.”
According to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, domestic operations are expected to stabilise between December 10 and 15.
The airline has also stated that all cancelled flights will be fully refunded, and those eligible will receive compensation as per DGCA guidelines. Meanwhile, airport authorities across major cities have deployed additional staff to manage passenger flow and provide assistance.
Conclusion
As India enters its high-travel winter season, the IndiGo meltdown has exposed vulnerabilities in airline scheduling, crisis management and the broader aviation ecosystem. With the airline accounting for more than half of India’s domestic market share, even a brief operational failure ripples across the entire sector. While normalcy is expected soon, the disruption has left thousands of passengers with a bitter travel experience — softened only slightly by moments of humanity, such as those witnessed at Bengaluru airport.