A Bengaluru entrepreneur has criticised IndiGo after widespread flight cancellations left her siblings and relatives unable to attend her father’s funeral, adding to the growing public frustration over the airline’s ongoing operational crisis
Grief compounded by travel disruption
Entrepreneur Manjari Ranasaria, based in Bengaluru, wrote a deeply emotional post on LinkedIn expressing how IndiGo’s flight disruptions deprived her family of the chance to say their final goodbyes. She said most of her siblings and relatives were travelling from other cities but were stranded due to the airline’s cancellations.
“My father passed on yesterday. Most of my siblings and relatives from out of town couldn’t be there. We fielded calls where each one of them was sobbing, feeling helpless for not being able to say farewell and pay their final respects to the person who was an important part of their lives,” she wrote.
Her post has resonated widely, with many users sharing similar experiences amid the crisis at India’s largest airline by market share.
‘Take your apology and burn it’
Ranasaria accused IndiGo of issuing what she described as a “non-apology”, stating that families across the country deserved better accountability.
“So, IndiGo, you can take your (non) apology and burn it. And to every system that allowed this to happen, I just want to say that the people of this country deserve better,” she added.
Her comments reflect growing anger among passengers who have spent hours at airports or missed important engagements during the weeks-long crisis.
IndiGo crisis intensifies nationwide
Tuesday marked the eighth day of IndiGo’s operational turmoil, with hundreds of flights across India cancelled or significantly delayed. On Tuesday alone, the airline cancelled close to 180 flights from Bengaluru and Hyderabad. On Monday, more than 560 flights were grounded across six major metro airports.
With IndiGo controlling over 65% of domestic air traffic, the disruptions have had a cascading impact nationwide, leading to overcrowded terminals, long queues, and widespread passenger distress.
Aviation analysts suggest that the airline may lose some of its competitive advantage as rivals step in to occupy vacated winter routes.
Government prepares punitive action
Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu addressed the crisis, stating that the government intends to restrict IndiGo’s winter schedule as a corrective measure.
“We will definitely reduce the number of routes which are in IndiGo’s winter schedule. The order to this effect will be issued. This will be a kind of penalty on the airline as they will not be able to fly on those curtailed routes,” he told DD News.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also ordered the airline to scale down its winter operations by 5%, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.
Broader concerns over airline reliability
The incident has reignited debate about the reliability of domestic carriers, especially during peak travel seasons. Passenger advocates argue that better regulation, improved staffing, and stronger contingency planning are essential to prevent similar crises.
While IndiGo has stated that operational challenges are being resolved, the fallout continues to affect thousands of travellers — including families like Ranasaria’s, navigating grief worsened by unexpected barriers.