IndiGo Meltdown Leaves Passengers Stranded Across India, Goa Worst-Hit

New Delhi: IndiGo airlines, which holds around 70% market share in India's aviation sector, faces one of the most severe operational crisis the sector has seen in recent years. Over the past four days, thousands of flights have been cancelled or delayed at airports across the country, triggering panic among travellers who were left stranded at terminals for hours as the airline's staff struggled to respond to the mounting frustration.

Goa International Airport in Dabolim turned out to be the worst-affected major airport despite having far fewer IndiGo flights than metro cities. While IndiGo cancelled over 550 flights nationwide in a day, Goa reported around 30 cancellations, a huge share of its limited daily capacity. In contrast, larger hubs like Delhi and Mumbai absorbed nearly 300 cancellations across far more routes and airlines. But with fewer flights and almost no alternative carriers, each cancellation in Goa hit much harder, making it disproportionately the most affected airport in the country.

The meltdown comes after the rollout of the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FTDL) norms by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which emphasises the need for longer rest periods for pilots. What was supposed to be a routine rule change turned into a full-blown operational breakdown for the airline as flights were delayed, rescheduled or cancelled entirely as IndiGo struggled to maintain operations.
As the disruptions grew, IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights. Major hubs such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, etc. bore the brunt of the chaos, with thousands and lakhs of passengers facing uncertainty about their travel plans.

One consistent grievance among the passengers was lack of communication from the airline. Many reported receiving updates at the last minute, often after hours of waiting at airports. Many also said that their flights were cancelled without prior notice and also without giving adequate options for rescheduling. Videos on social media showed long queues, exhausted passengers and announcements that did little to quell the mounting frustration.

Taking note of the massive collapse of the aviation sector, the DGCA on Friday relaxed a critical provision of the new Flight Duty Time and Fatigue Management norms, effectively giving airlines, especially IndiGo, urgent crew-rostering flexibility amid nationwide disruptions. The DGCA has also initiated a detailed review of the airline's roster planning and operational readiness, while also asking IndiGo to submit a mitigation plan on how it intends to stabilise their schedules in the coming days.

Meanwhile, IndiGo acknowledged and expressed regret over the crisis. In a statement issued on Friday, IndiGo assured passengers of multiple support measures, stating, "We will ensure that all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment. Full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests for bookings between December 5-15, 2025."

(Written by Siddhant Bhattacharjee)

ALSO READ: Govt Assures Relief Amid IndiGo Crisis: Orders High-Level Probe, Says Flight Schedules to 'Stabilise' Tonight