Friday, 5 December saw unprecedented chaos at Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and 15 other airports as IndiGo—the carrier that moves two out of every three domestic passengers—scrubbed more than 500 flights nationwide. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport issued an emergency advisory as queues snaked across terminals and dwell times breached three hours. Similar scenes unfolded in Chennai, where 28 departures were axed, and Vadodara, where IndiGo wiped out its entire daily schedule.
IndiGo blamed a perfect storm: a crew-scheduling software glitch, poor winter visibility and, most critically, new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules that lengthened pilot rest windows. Sources said the airline’s pilot shortage—exacerbated by training backlogs—left it unable to re-roster crews when fog-related delays pushed them beyond legal limits.
![IndiGo Cancels Over 500 Flights in One Day, Paralyzing India’s Domestic Air Network]()
The financial and reputational fallout is severe. CAPA India estimates the disruption could cost IndiGo ₹110-₹140 crore in refunds, hotel accommodation and missed connections, not counting goodwill damage at a time when the airline is pursuing aggressive international expansion. Rival carriers Air India and Akasa sensed opportunity, adding relief flights and capping last-minute fares (still touching ₹35,000 on metro sectors).
For mobility managers, the episode is a reminder to build dual-carrier strategies for critical domestic shuttles and to budget for fare spikes during operational meltdowns. Travellers stranded at hub airports reported last-minute hotel rates tripling; some corporates triggered emergency per-diem overrides. Duty-of-care teams should also note that travel insurance rarely covers “operational reasons,” making airline-negotiated waivers essential.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers apologised, predicting cancellations would fall below 1,000 a day by the weekend and full normalisation by 10-15 December. Until then, expect rolling reschedules, longer connection buffers and higher re-accommodation demand on premium rail services.
IndiGo blamed a perfect storm: a crew-scheduling software glitch, poor winter visibility and, most critically, new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules that lengthened pilot rest windows. Sources said the airline’s pilot shortage—exacerbated by training backlogs—left it unable to re-roster crews when fog-related delays pushed them beyond legal limits.
The financial and reputational fallout is severe. CAPA India estimates the disruption could cost IndiGo ₹110-₹140 crore in refunds, hotel accommodation and missed connections, not counting goodwill damage at a time when the airline is pursuing aggressive international expansion. Rival carriers Air India and Akasa sensed opportunity, adding relief flights and capping last-minute fares (still touching ₹35,000 on metro sectors).
For mobility managers, the episode is a reminder to build dual-carrier strategies for critical domestic shuttles and to budget for fare spikes during operational meltdowns. Travellers stranded at hub airports reported last-minute hotel rates tripling; some corporates triggered emergency per-diem overrides. Duty-of-care teams should also note that travel insurance rarely covers “operational reasons,” making airline-negotiated waivers essential.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers apologised, predicting cancellations would fall below 1,000 a day by the weekend and full normalisation by 10-15 December. Until then, expect rolling reschedules, longer connection buffers and higher re-accommodation demand on premium rail services.
