India’s largest airline, IndiGo, continued to grapple with widespread operational disruptions for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, resulting in fresh flight cancellations across multiple airports. The crisis, triggered earlier this week, has led to thousands of passengers being stranded nationwide.
IndiGo recorded more than 1,000 cancellations on Friday alone, after suspending all domestic departures from Delhi Airport until midnight. The airline had cancelled around 550 flights on Thursday, adding to the mounting travel chaos.
Delhi Airport: Operations Gradually Stabilising
In an advisory issued on Saturday, Delhi Airport said that IndiGo’s operations were “steadily returning to normal.” Passengers have been urged to verify their flight status before travelling to the airport.
“We are glad to update that IndiGo flight operations are now steadily resuming and getting back to normalcy following the brief disruption,” the airport’s post on X read.
Plea Filed in Supreme Court Over Passenger Losses
Amid the disruptions, a petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court seeking the intervention of the Chief Justice of India. The plea requests the Court to take suo motu cognisance of the issue, direct the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to file status reports, and set up a special bench for an urgent hearing.
The DGCA has blamed the airline’s turmoil on “misjudgment and gaps in planning”, specifically linked to the rollout of new pilot duty-hour regulations.
IndiGo CEO Issues Apology; Full Normalcy Expected by Dec 10–15
IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers issued a public apology on Friday, acknowledging that December 5 was the worst-hit day, with cancellations crossing the 1,000 mark. He said the airline is working to restore stability but warned that a full return to normal operations may take several more days.
“It will take some time to return to a full normal situation, which we anticipate between December 10 and 15,” Elbers said in a video statement.
Aviation Ministry Promises Strict Action
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu criticised IndiGo for poor crew and operational planning, which he said worsened the transition to the DGCA’s new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.
The minister said a committee has been formed to investigate the incident and identify accountability.
“We are taking strict action so that whoever was responsible will have to answer for it,” Naidu told ANI.
Flights Still Disrupted Nationwide
Despite gradual improvement in Delhi, several airports continued to face significant disruptions on Saturday morning:
- Thiruvananthapuram Airport: 3 arrivals and 3 departures cancelled
- Ahmedabad Airport (12 am–6 am): 7 arrivals and 12 departures grounded
- Chennai Airport (till 9 am): 29 flights cancelled
The airline has not yet released a fresh nationwide cancellation count for the day.