Domestic carrier IndiGo cancelled more than 400 flights from four key airports on Saturday, deepening the ongoing aviation crisis and leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the country. The fresh wave of cancellations came just a day after the airline managed to secure temporary relaxations in the second phase of court-mandated new flight duty and rest period norms for its cockpit crew. Despite the regulatory relief, operations remained severely disrupted, with long queues, confusion over re-bookings, and growing public anger.
Sources said the bulk of the cancellations were concentrated at Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad, which together form IndiGo’s busiest hubs. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the civil aviation ministry are closely monitoring the situation as disruptions stretch into the fifth consecutive day. The scale of the interruption has prompted questions about the airline’s rostering practices and its preparedness for the revised safety norms.
Major Hubs Worst Hit by Cancellations:
Of the more than 400 flights scrapped on Saturday, Bengaluru airport bore the maximum impact, with 124 cancellations, including 63 departures and 61 arrivals. Mumbai followed with 109 cancellations, comprising 51 departures and 58 arrivals, causing heavy congestion and confusion in terminals through the day. Delhi airport saw 106 flights cancelled, split between 54 departures and 52 arrivals, further squeezing capacity on one of the country’s busiest routes.
Hyderabad recorded 66 cancellations, adding to the disruption across the southern region. Reports also indicated cancellations at other airports such as Pune and Jaipur, where dozens of flights were affected as schedules were reworked. In Jammu, IndiGo resumed most of its services but still cancelled some flights, while Srinagar saw around 14 flights (seven arrivals and seven departures) scrapped out of a scheduled 36.
Passengers across these hubs reported long waiting times, repeated rescheduling, and limited clarity on alternate arrangements. Many travellers turned to trains and other airlines as last-minute options, straining alternative modes of transport as well.
Regulatory Relief Fails to Stabilise Operations:
The cancellations came despite IndiGo receiving temporary relaxations on revised flight duty time limitations for pilots, which had been introduced as part of court-mandated safety reforms. The DGCA rolled back the expanded night duty window from 12 am–6 am to 12 am–5 am and allowed more night landings per pilot, among other concessions, in a bid to ease the pressure on crew rostering. The aviation ministry also decided to put the implementation of parts of the revised FDTL Civil Aviation Requirement in abeyance after a review meeting.
However, these measures were not enough to prevent hundreds of fresh cancellations on Saturday, underscoring the depth of IndiGo’s scheduling and manpower challenges. The airline has attributed the mass disruptions to pilot rostering constraints under the new norms and has warned that cancellations may continue while operations are gradually scaled down and recalibrated. Regulators have asked IndiGo to submit a detailed roadmap on crew recruitment, training, roster restructuring, and a mitigation plan, supported by fortnightly progress updates.
The Airlines’ Pilots Association (ALPA) India has sharply criticised the selective regulatory relief, calling it unsafe and claiming it undermines parity between airlines while increasing fatigue risks for cockpit crew. The union said such relaxations may place millions of passengers at heightened risk and urged the regulator to prioritise long-term safety over short-term operational fixes.
Passengers Bear Brunt as Other Airlines Step In:
For passengers, Saturday marked yet another day of uncertainty, with IndiGo’s meltdown stretching to at least five days of persistent cancellations and delays. Flyers at Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad reported packed counters, scarce information, and difficulty obtaining timely refunds or alternate bookings. Many shared experiences of missed events and broken travel plans as the disruptions continued despite the airline’s assurances of gradual normalisation.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, who had remained publicly silent during the initial days of the crisis, issued a video apology on Friday for the major inconvenience caused to passengers. He acknowledged the scale of the disruption and said the airline expected to operate fewer flights on Saturday than usual while working towards restoring stability. The apology, however, did little to immediately ease the pressure on travellers stuck in terminals across the network.
Amid IndiGo’s troubles, rival carrier SpiceJet announced additional departures from Mumbai on several domestic and international routes, including Delhi, Jaipur, Chennai, Dubai, Kolkata, and others, to absorb some of the displaced passenger traffic. Authorities have also indicated that strict action and penalties could follow once the crisis is fully assessed, particularly in cases of poor passenger handling and inadequate communication.
Government Scrutiny Intensifies as Crisis Deepens:
The civil aviation ministry and DGCA have intensified their review of IndiGo’s operations, holding multiple meetings to examine the root causes behind the widespread disruption. Officials are scrutinising whether the airline adequately expected the impact of the new duty-time rules and whether it maintained sufficient buffers in crew strength and scheduling. The crisis has highlighted how concentrated dependence on a single large carrier can magnify systemic stress when that airline faces operational shocks.
With more than 1,000 cancellations reported on Friday alone and over 400 additional flights cancelled on Saturday, the aviation system remains under strain. The government has also moved to consider caps on airfares on alternative routes to prevent price spikes for passengers forced to switch carriers. As investigations proceed and corrective plans are drawn up, passengers and industry stakeholders alike are watching closely to see how quickly IndiGo can restore reliability to its network.
