IndiGo Airlines sparked absolute mayhem at multiple Indian airports on Wednesday after abruptly cancelling dozens of flights. Visuals shared online showed hundreds of people standing in queues, furious passengers demanding information from staffers and a sea of luggage waiting to be processed. The airline later explained that newly updated crew rostering rules and operational issues had triggered the crisis.
According to a Reuters report, IndiGo (typically known for its punctuality) had reported an abysmal on-time performance of 35% on Tuesday amid persistent issues. Data from the civil aviation ministry indicated that this was the lowest among all Indian airlines. Flightradar24 data reveals that approximately 700 flights had already faced delays by 4:00 pm on Wednesday across the three busiest airports — Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The glitches have also spanned several other airports and remain in effect across the country. Flights were also cancelled in many cases.
‘Multitude of unforeseen errors’
“A multitude of unforeseen operational challenges including minor technology glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations) had a negative compounding impact on our operations in a way that was not feasible to be anticipated,” the airline said.
The largest airline of the country assured that its teams were now working around the clock to ease customer discomfort and stabilise operations. IndiGo said it was also offering passengers alternate travel arrangements and refunds amid the two-day disruption. The domestic carrier has also ‘initiated calibrated adjustments to schedules’ — with sources telling PTI that it would be cancelling and rescheduling flights over the next 48 hours.
‘Staff crying, passengers screaming’
Videos and photos shared online from various Indian airports showed massive crowds waiting with their luggage. Many were seen quizzing IndiGo staffers for updates, while others lamented the lack of communication from the airline.