IndiGo, India’s largest domestic airline, is working to restore stability after more than 4,500 flight cancellations over the past week triggered widespread disruption across major airports. Despite government intervention and passenger support measures, delays and overcrowding persisted on Monday, marking the seventh straight day of operational strain.

The cancellations escalated rapidly through the week: 150 on Tuesday, nearly 200 on Wednesday, over 300 on Thursday, and a single-day peak of around 1,600 on Friday. Weekend cancellations remained high, with 850 on Saturday and 650 on Sunday. By Monday, over 300 flights from Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru were already called off.

Airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata faced the highest impact. Delhi’s Terminal 1 saw rows of unclaimed bags as passengers struggled to rebook flights or retrieve luggage. Similar scenes unfolded in Bengaluru and Chennai, where dozens of arrivals and departures were cancelled through the day.

The crisis stems from multiple operational setbacks converging at once, including a persistent pilot shortage, delays linked to Airbus A320 software advisories, and the abrupt enforcement of stricter Flight Duty Time Limitations designed to curb night-time fatigue. The revised rules pushed a large number of pilots into mandatory rest periods, leaving IndiGo with reduced crew availability amid an aggressively expanded winter schedule.

The DGCA has issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo’s CEO, highlighting insufficient preparation for the new rostering norms. The regulator has also relaxed one provision to ease crew scheduling, allowing temporary substitution of leave for weekly rest.

IndiGo has acknowledged the scale of the disruption and announced extensive passenger-support steps. These include processing ₹610 crore in refunds, waiving cancellation and rescheduling charges for travel between December 5–15, arranging hotel stays and transport, providing food at terminals, enabling lounge access for senior citizens, deploying additional support staff and AI-based tools, and recovering over 3,000 pieces of misplaced baggage.

The turbulence has rattled travellers, with many holiday plans being cancelled and emergency trips delayed. With limited airline alternatives, passengers reported repeated cancellations and out-of-pocket expenses for unplanned accommodation.

IndiGo says operations are improving and expects near-normal schedules by December 10. Of the airline’s 138 destinations, 137 are active, and internal communications from CEO Pieter Elbers indicate that recovery is progressing “step by step.” However, thin operational buffers mean any fresh disruption could slow the turnaround.