IndiGo flight cancellations LIVE: Airline cancels over 1,000 flights to achieve reboot, says CEO Pieter Elbers

Affecting key domestic routes and leaving passengers stranded for hours, the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport here witnessed major flight disruptions for the second consecutive day on Friday, airport officials said.
“I reached the airport for my flight to Kolkata and was shocked to learn that it had been cancelled. No alternative arrangement was offered,” said Anand Vasant, a passenger.
Sunil D Shaligram said his son was stranded for more than 14 hours after a Pune-bound flight was called off. “Despite repeated requests, we received no assistance,” he added.
Padma Pande, grandmother of Parth, a student pursuing engineering in Guwahati said her grandson was stuck in the north eastern city.
“His semester exams were over and he had a confirmed ticket for Lucknow for this evening. This last-minute cancellation means that one is stranded as all trains too are running full and indirect flights of other operators, taking advantage of the Indigo crisis, are charging a fortune,” she said.
PTI
Eighty-five IndiGo flights were cancelled on Friday at airports in Madhya Pradesh, leaving thousands of flyers in distress, officials said.
These include 49 movements, comprising 25 departures and 24 arrivals, at Indore’s Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, its director Sunil Maggirwar said. The airport is the busiest in the State.
Director Ramji Awasthi of Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj airport said, “Of the 36 total movements at our airport, 28 were of IndiGo, of which 18 have been cancelled. These comprise nine incoming and nine outgoing.” Jabalpur airport director Rajeev Ratan Pandey said 10 movements of the airline were cancelled from his airstrip. The facility is popularly known as Dumna airport.
Khajuraho airport director Santosh Singh told PTI that IndiGo had cancelled four movements from the facility.
Gwalior based Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia airport director Lokesh Yadav said four IndiGo movements were cancelled there.
PTI
The uncertainty arising out of flight cancellations and delays has adversely affected the essential travels of a few patients to Hyderabad, a major medical tourism destination, and other cities. Some of the major hospitals in Hyderabad and specialist doctors said that a few of their patients from other States have either postponed or advised to postpone their planned visits due to the cancellations and high air fare. The hospitals and doctors have offered online consultations and monitoring.
“Omega Hospitals are proactively managing this situation by offering flexible appointment rescheduling, prioritizing cancer patient evaluations. We advise senior citizens and vulnerable patients to postpone non-essential travel until stability returns. Keeping in view the challenges , we have fully activated our call centers with doctors and specialists to support 24/7 for the patients who are in immediate need,” group COO of Omega Hospitals Mahender Pala said.
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Shares of InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of IndiGo, dropped over 7% in the past four days ever since a crisis engulfed the airline, where it cancelled a large number of flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded for several hours.
In the past four trading days, the stock has lost 7.23% on the BSE. On Friday, the stock declined 1.22% to settle at ₹5,371.30 apiece. During the day, it dropped 3.15% to ₹5,266.
On the NSE, shares of the firm ended 1.27% lower at ₹5,367.50 each. In the last four days, the stock has declined by 7.30%.
The company’s market valuation has eroded by ₹16,190.64 crore to reach ₹2,07,649.14 crore since December 1.
PTI
The Northern Railway on Friday decided to increase 3AC and Chair Car coaches in four premium trains for the convenience of travellers in view of the disruption of Indigo airline’s flight services.
Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway, said that one 3AC coach each in 12425/26 Jammu Rajdhani express and 12424/23 Dibrugarh Rajdhani express have been increased after experiencing a surge in passengers’ travel needs.
“Similarly, one AC Chair Car coach each in Chandigarh 12045/46 Shatabdi express and 12030/29 Amritsar Shatabdi express have also been augmented,” Mr. Upadhyay added.
Officials said that these changes will be introduced from the upcoming services of these trains and will continue till the problem persists.
PTI
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Friday said the airline expects to have less than 1,000 flight cancellations on Saturday and that the situation is anticipated to normalise between December 10-15.
On a day when the airline cancelled more than 1,000 flights, or over half of its daily number of services, Elbers, in a video message, apologised for the major inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the disruptions.
“Regrettably, earlier measures of the last few days have proven not to be enough. So we decided today for a reboot of all our systems and schedules, resulting in the highest number of cancellations so far, but imperative for progressive improvements starting tomorrow onwards.
“With these actions, we expect tomorrow to have cancellations below 1,000. The support of DGCA, in providing specific FDTL implementation relief, is of great help,” Mr. Elbers said.
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As flight cancellations and delays continued for a third straight day across India, the cascading disruption caused by IndiGo’s operational crisis has triggered an unexpected surge in demand for charter and business jets. Operators say they are overwhelmed, with enquiries shooting up to levels they have never seen before.
Several charter flight companies reported that requests for urgent, same-day travel have multiplied since December 4, as passengers, including business travellers, families and frequent flyers, scramble for alternatives.
Sourabh Jangid, Accountable Manager at Nibe Aeronautics Limited, an air charter services company based in Pune, said enquiries have risen nearly five-fold in just 48 hours. “There are no aircraft available; the demand is that high. We usually receive around 10 enquiries a day, but it has now touched 50, and Hyderabad alone accounts for at least a quarter of them. Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad have emerged as the most active sectors for charter demand,” he said.
Charter movements themselves have risen nearly three-fold, he said. “On a normal day we handle 2-3 charters, about 4-6 flights, but demand has now pushed us to operate 6-7 charters, or up to 14 flights a day. Our three aircraft are running at full capacity and we are relying on other operators to support additional requests,” Jangid said.
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IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers says over 1000 flights cancelled today to achieve reboot.
“Tomorrow too there will be hundreds of cancellations,” he says. A return to normalcy will be achieved between December 10-15.
The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), issued an advisory for passengers travelling by IndiGo, stating that all flights of the airline stood cancelled until 11.59 p.m. on December 5.
“Passengers are requested to note that IndiGo flights from KIA to Mumbai and Delhi stand cancelled until 11.59 p.m. on December 5. For IndiGo flights operating to other destinations, we recommend that passengers verify the latest flight status directly with the airline before leaving for the airport,” the advisory states.
The advisory added that the BIAL’s on ground teams were actively coordinating with IndiGo and all operational partners to minimise inconvenience and support passengers through the disruption.
Read more here:
All IndiGo flights from Bengaluru to Mumbai and Delhi cancelled till 11.59 p.m. on Dec 5, BIAL issues advisory
All IndiGo flights at Bengaluru airport are cancelled until 11.59 p.m. on December 5; passengers advised to check status.
Ministry of Civil Aviation constitutes a high level 4 member committee to identify causes leading to flight disruptions at IndiGo on Friday.
The committee comprises of members, Sanjay K. Bramhane, Joint Director General, Amit Gupta, Deputy Director General, Capt. Kapil Manglik, SFOI and Capt. Lokesh Rampal, FOI.
The committee shall submit its finding and recommendation to DGCA within 15 days.
The committee is expected to :
Identify the underlying causes leading to widespread operational disruptions,
Assess the adequacy of manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, and implementation preparedness
Review the extent of compliance with the revised FDTL provisions, including analysis of gaps admitted by the airline,
Ascertain the accountability and responsibility for planning failures that led to the breakdown of operational stability,
Assess whether the airline is taking adequate steps for restoration of flight operations.
Frustration and anger were writ large on faces of stranded passengers as private carrier IndiGo cancelled over 100 flights scheduled for arrival and departure at four main airports in Gujarat - Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot - on Friday.
As many as 86 6E IndiGo flights scheduled for arrival and departure from the Ahmedabad airport (50 departure and 36 arrival) were cancelled between 0001 IST and till 1600 IST on December 5, an airport official said.
He informed that nine flights of the airline scheduled for departure from Vadodara, eight from Rajkot and four from Surat were also cancelled, causing chaos at the airports as passengers scrambled to make alternative arrangements for the last minute changes in their travel itinerary.
The office of airport director at Vadodara said with a view to help stranded passengers, Air India is operating two additional flights on the Delhi-Vadodara-Delhi sector on Friday and Saturday.
PTI
Police personnel posted at Mumbai international airport are on alert for the past 24 hours due to IndiGo flight cancellations, an official said on Friday.
More than 50% of the airline’s flights from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Terminus (CSMIA) here have been cancelled till afternoon, the official pointed out.
“Police personnel at Mumbai international airport have been on alert since the last 24 hours as hundreds of passengers are stranded (due to flight cancellations). However, as per our information, the airline is reimbursing affected passengers and also delivering their baggage etc as per schedule. Passengers, who are in transit and have international flights, have been provided accommodation at hotels,” the official said.
Many hotels near Mumbai airport have been booked to accommodate such passengers, he added.
Another official, however, pointed out that some hotels have increased their room rents, while taxi fares in the region have also seen a spike.
A security official at Mumbai airport said around 100 IndiGo flights have been cancelled.
PTI
Pilots’ body Airlines’ Pilots Association (ALPA) India on Friday took “strong” objection to safety regulator DGCA’s “selective and unsafe” relief to domestic carrier IndiGo, amid widescale cancellations, saying the decision sets a dangerous precedent.
In a letter to the DGCA on Friday, ALPA-India said the decision not only sets a “dangerous precedent” but also undermines the very principle and purpose of the civil aviation requirement under which the norms have been formulated.
It also said on the pretext of passenger inconvenience, IndiGo is seeking relief despite having knowingly increased their winter operations while being fully aware of the implementation of the second phase of the pilots’ flight duty and rest period norms.
PTI
The Government of India has decided to institute a high-level inquiry into the disruption, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement as thousands of passengers were left stranded following mass cancellation of IndiGo flights.
“The inquiry will examine what went wrong at Indigo, determine accountability wherever required for appropriate actions, and recommend measures to prevent similar disruptions in the future, ensuring that passengers do not face such hardships again,” it added.
Citing several operational measures that have been directed to ensure that normal airline services are restored at the earliest, the Civil Aviation Ministry said it expects flight schedules to stabilise by tomorrow.
“Based on the immediate implementation of the directives, we expect that flight schedules will begin to stabilise and return to normal by tomorrow. We anticipate that complete restoration of services will be achieved within the next three days,” it said.
In a press statement, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said it has taken urgent and proactive measures to address the ongoing disruption in flight schedules, particularly those of Indigo Airlines.
“The Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) orders of the DGCA have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect. Without compromising on air safety, this decision has been taken solely in the interest of passengers, especially senior citizens, students, patients, and others who rely on timely air travel for essential needs.”
Passengers are requested to note that IndiGo flights from Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR Airport) to Mumbai and Delhi stand cancelled until 23:59 hours on December 5, the airport said in a statement.
Confusion prevailed at the Swami Vivekananda Airport here on Thursday as several IndiGo flights were abruptly cancelled or rescheduled, leaving passengers stranded for hours.
Angry passengers were seen asking questions, even shouting in frustration as staff members at the airline’s counter outside the airport could not provide them answers.
Airport officials did not respond to messages and calls seeking details of cancellations.
There was no clear communication from the airline, some passengers claimed, adding that they were shocked to find their morning flights rescheduled to late night with no guarantee that even then flights would be operated.
- PTI
The operations of IndiGo continued to be plagued by disruptions on Friday as the India’s largest airline cancelled 31 domestic flights from Goa’s Dabolim airport till noon.
Amid a slew of cancellations, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has advised passengers to check their latest flight status before heading to the airport.
A senior official from the AAI, which runs the Dabolim airport in South Goa, said as of 12 noon, 31 IndiGo flights were cancelled, while only seven aircraft could take off.
The flight disruptions have cast a long shadow on Goa’s tourism industry with stakeholders fearing a drop in footfalls at a time when tourism season is at its peak in the coastal state.
Jack Sukhija, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, noted IndiGo enjoys more than 60 per cent share in the Indian aviation market and disruptions in its flight operations will have an adverse impact on the tourism industry.
- PTI
As IndiGo flight delays and cancellations have continued to affect thousands of passengers, it has invited criticism on the absence of “market fairness” in the aviation sector.
Across the three quarters in 2025, IndiGo occupied nearly 65% aviation market share.
Aviation market share 2025@2x.png
Pune Airport on Friday said it has deployed additional manpower and strengthened coordination across all departments to manage passenger movement amid ongoing airline operational disruptions that have led to large-scale cancellations.
Airport officials said between midnight and 8 am on Friday, a total of 16 IndiGo arrival flights and 16 IndiGo departure flights were cancelled, while one Nagpur-Pune flight was diverted to Hyderabad due to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).
Operations of other airlines remained normal, they added.
The airport said congestion at parking bays continued as several IndiGo aircraft remained stationed while awaiting operating crew, resulting in limited bay availability and causing sequential delays to subsequent arrivals and departures of multiple carriers.
“All airport teams remain fully mobilized across operations, terminal management, security, apron services and passenger facilitation to ensure smooth functioning,” the statement said.
Pune Airport said it is closely coordinating with airlines, ground handling agencies, Air Traffic Control, CISF and terminal service partners to manage congestion and assist passengers.
- PTI
A first-person account of the chaos and confusion as passengers across India struggled to board their IndiGo flights at Chennai airport
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‘IndiGo didn’t take off — but my stress levels did’
A first-person account of IndiGo’s cancellations, capturing the chaos and confusion at airports.
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OTP indigo@2x (1).png
In view of the ongoing IndiGo flight disruptions, Northern Railways on Friday announced the augmentation of an additional coach in the Jammu-New Delhi Rajdhani Express for the next seven days, beginning tonight, officials said.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said the decision comes to facilitate stranded passengers and provide them comfort.
“In the wake of ongoing flight disruptions, Indian Railways has taken an important decision to augment one 3rd AC coach of 72 seats in the Jammu-New Delhi Rajdhani for the next seven days beginning tonight (December 5),” he said.
Stranded passengers can avail of this facility by booking seats in the additional coach, Singhal said.
According to reports, 11 IndiGo flights have been cancelled from Jammu airport amid operational disruptions affecting schedules.
- PTI
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday (December 5, 2025) cleared IndiGo’s plea for exemption from night-duty limits for pilots. This comes as the airline faces continued disruptions in its operations with large scale flight cancellations — over 400 on Friday — leaving many passengers stranded for as long as three days at airports.
Friday’s exemption allows IndiGo to be exempt from the night-duty rule until February 10.
Read more on this here...
Air passengers continued to suffer at Chennai airport on Friday (December 5, 2025) as IndiGo cancelled 31 flights.
Officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said IndiGo had written to Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) authorities at Chennai airport, asking them to stop all departing passengers from entering the terminal until 6 p.m., as most of the base-flight passengers were still in the check-in and boarding areas. On Thursday (December 4), too, 31 flights were cancelled at Chennai airport.
Read more on this here...
As hundreds of IndiGo flights continue to face delays, cancellations, passengers have been left stranded at airports across the country.
Accordingly, the airline has advised passengers to check the latest status of their flight, before heading to the airport:
https://www.goindigo.in/check-flight-status.html
IndiGo on Friday cancelled all its departing domestic flights from the Delhi airport till midnight as the airline continues to grapple with significant operational disruptions.
Delhi airport operator DIAL said operations of all other carriers remain as scheduled.
“IndiGo domestic flights departing from Delhi Airport on 5th December 2025 are cancelled till midnight today (till 23:59 hours),” Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said in a post on X.
DIAL also said its dedicated on-ground teams are working diligently with all partners to mitigate the disruption and ensure a comfortable passenger experience.
In a statement, IndiGo said it has cancelled all domestic flights departing from Delhi airport (DEL) till 11.59 pm on Friday.
- PTI
Aviation regulator DGCA’s chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai on Friday requested the cooperation of all pilots to ensure smooth flight operations amid massive IndiGo flight disruptions.
In an appeal, the Director General said that in light of the current IndiGo flight disruptions due to operational constraints, unpredictable weather patterns and rising seasonal demand, the aviation sector is experiencing significant strain.
He noted that these disruptions have led to delays, passenger inconvenience, and increased pressure on airline operations.
“As we now approach the fog season, the peak holiday period, and the marriage travel season, it is crucial that the industry prepares for even greater operational challenges.
“Passenger volumes are expected to rise sharply, and weather-related impacts may further complicate scheduling and flight safety,” Kidwai said.
Given this situation, he has requested the full cooperation of all pilot bodies, associations, and pilots across India to maintain stable, smooth flight operations during this busy, weather-sensitive period and to reduce avoidable delays and cancellations.
He also emphasised the need to strengthen coordination between pilots and airlines to proactively and safely manage the situation.
- PTI
Noting that Friday should be the day with highest number of cancellations, as the airline is “doing all that is necessary to reboot all our systems and schedules for progressive improvement starting tomorrow,” IndiGo issued an apology on X.
“Our teams are working to reinstate regular operations in alignment with the Ministry and DGCA. Short term proactive cancellations are being made to ease operations, decongest the airports to prepare for starting stronger tomorrow.”
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The airline listed out following remedial steps it will be taking in the meantime:
- 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 of your bookings for travel between 05 December 2025 to 15 December 2025
- Thousands of hotel rooms across cities and surface transport have been arranged for the convenience of our customers
- Trying to ensure that food and snacks are being provided to our waiting customers at the airports
-Lounge access is being arranged for senior citizens, wherever possible
IndiGo’s flight disruptions stretched into the fourth consecutive day on Friday (December 5, 2025) with several flights cancelled across multiple airports in the country.
All Indigo flight departures from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport have been cancelled till midnight on Friday (December 5)
Read more on this here...
Major airports across the country descended into turmoil as IndiGo’s flight delays and cancellations continued to mount for the fourth consecutive day. With several hundred flights either delayed or cancelled, passengers have been left scrambling. Even as the airline issued an apology to customers and stakeholders, saying it “remains focused on streamlining its operations at the earliest,” over 400 IndiGo flights were reportedly cancelled on Friday (December 5, 2025) across several airports. On Thursday, the airline’s on-time performance at six metro airports dropped to 8.5%.
Click here to read more on what is causing the flight delays/cancellations?