IndiGo on Friday cancelled all its departing domestic flights from Delhi Airport till midnight as the airline continues to grapple with severe operational disruptions. Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) confirmed that operations of all other carriers remain on schedule.
"IndiGo domestic flights departing from Delhi Airport on 5th December 2025 are cancelled till midnight today (till 23:59 hours)," DIAL said in a post on X. The airport operator added that its dedicated on-ground teams are working diligently with all partners to mitigate the disruption and ensure a comfortable passenger experience.
According to sources, IndiGo cancelled all departing flights from Chennai airport till Friday 6pm.
India's largest airline has faced major upheaval as pilot-rostering issues forced large-scale cancellations — over 400 flights on Friday alone — leaving many passengers stranded for up to three days.
Airports across the country witnessed chaotic scenes, with some IndiGo flights delayed by more than 12 hours. Frustrated passengers staged protests, and complaints about misplaced baggage were widespread.
The disruptions, primarily caused by a shortage of pilots that was not anticipated due to planning deficiencies, have entered their fourth day. Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation.
In one instance, a PTI staffer booked a Delhi-Mumbai flight scheduled for 8:30 pm on Thursday at a cost of Rs 25,000. She spent the entire night at the airport as the airline repeatedly rescheduled the flight, only cancelling it on Friday morning. Her ordeal continued when she could not locate her checked-in baggage.
"I was looking for my checked-in baggage but could not find it. I have filled up the requisite forms and the airline has informed me that they will deliver the baggage at the residential address," she said.
Another staffer recounted that a flight to Delhi, scheduled for 5:30 pm on Thursday, took off only around 2 am on Friday after passengers protested. A video shot at Delhi airport showed large groups of passengers waiting for updates, with many expressing anger over repeated delays.
"What is the reason for the flight delays? We need to know the reason," one passenger asked. Some passengers also reported that airfares on the Mumbai-Delhi route had soared to around Rs 60,000 on Thursday.
At Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, 49 outbound and 43 incoming IndiGo flights were expected to be cancelled on Friday, sources said. Hyderabad Airport also saw chaos on Thursday as 37 outbound flights were cancelled.
"Absolute chaos at Hyderabad airport because of Indigo operational mess. All gates were bombarded with angry stuck passengers," a netizen wrote on X.
IndiGo, which normally operates around 2,300 flights daily with a fleet of over 400 aircraft, has seen its punctuality plummet. On Time Performance (OTP) dropped to 19.7 per cent on Wednesday, compared to 35 per cent on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the airline informed aviation watchdog DGCA that operations are expected to stabilise fully by February 10, 2026, and requested temporary relaxations in flight duty norms.
Acknowledging that recent disruptions were primarily due to planning gaps in implementing the second phase of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), IndiGo said more cancellations are likely until December 8, after which service reductions will also take place.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu expressed displeasure over IndiGo’s handling of the revised FDTL implementation during a high-level review meeting, noting that the airline had ample time to prepare.
In a late-night statement, IndiGo acknowledged the widespread disruption. "We extend a heartfelt apology to all our customers and industry stakeholders who have been impacted by these events. IndiGo teams are working diligently and making all efforts with the support of MOCA, DGCA, BCAS, AAI and airport operators to reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy," the airline said.
IndiGo further urged customers to stay updated on flight statuses. "We will continue to keep our customers apprised of any changes to their scheduled flights and advise them to check the latest status at https://goindigo.in/check-flight-status.html before heading to the airport. IndiGo deeply regrets the inconvenience caused and remains focused on streamlining its operations at the earliest," the statement added.