The Centre on Friday said flight schedules are expected to stabilise by Saturday with complete normalcy likely within three days, which would be Monday.
Civil Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, in an official statement, confirmed that a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the ongoing disruptions and that accountability would be fixed.
The Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) orders of the DGCA have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect.
Naidu justified the suspension of certain provisions of the FDTL, which are designed to ensure pilots and crew receive adequate rest.
According to the minister, the decision has been taken without compromising air safety and is aimed at assisting passengers such as senior citizens, students, patients and others who depend on timely air travel for essential requirements.
The minister said airlines had been instructed to ensure regular and accurate updates so passengers could check real-time flight statuses before leaving home.
Refunds, he added, would be issued automatically and hotel accommodation arranged for those stranded for long periods.
Flight operations across India remained in disarray on Friday as IndiGo continued to face operational crisis.
IndiGo, which operates about 2300 flights daily, saw cancellations cross 500 for the second consecutive day, resulting in widespread chaos at airports across the country.
The On-Time Performance of the airline plunged to 8.5 per cent on Thursday according to civil aviation ministry data.
‘We are truly sorry’
IndiGo acknowledged the crisis and apologised to passengers, stating that Friday would record the highest number of cancellations as it attempted to reboot its systems.
"To each one of our customers - We are truly sorry and we will take care!!! We do deeply apologise and understand how difficult the past few days have been for many of you. While this will not get resolved overnight, we assure you that we will do everything in our capacity to help you in the meantime and to bring our operations back to normal at the earliest. We are known for our reliability but in these last few days we have had a serious operational crisis. For many customers, their journeys were cancelled, and many of you were at the airports, with long wait times and little information," IndiGo said.
It said short-term proactive cancellations were being carried out to decongest airports and stabilise operations. The airline offered a full waiver on cancellations and rescheduling for bookings between December 5 and December 15 and assured that refunds would be processed to the original mode of payment.
It said thousands of hotel rooms and surface transport had been arranged for stranded passengers and that snacks, food and lounge access for senior citizens were being provided wherever possible.
Passengers were advised not to go to the airport if their flights were cancelled and were asked to check updates through IndiGo’s website and its AI assistant.
Crowds swelled at major airports as cancellations mounted.
Cops on alert at Mumbai airport
Police personnel at Mumbai airport remained on alert for the past 24 hours as more than half of IndiGo’s flights from the city were cancelled by Friday afternoon.
"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," an official said.
He said several hotels near the airport were fully booked for stranded fliers. Another official noted that hotel rates and taxi fares in the area had surged due to the sudden spike in demand.
Passengers fume at Raipur airport
Confusion and anger dominated scenes at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur as passengers found their flights cancelled or rescheduled without warning.
Many said they received updates only hours before departure and alleged that airline staff were unable to provide clear information.
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.
"I have been standing here for two hours. Call the concerned person, let us go inside. We are standing here like fools," a passenger was heard saying.
A passenger from Odisha said his Raipur to Delhi flight had been cancelled after he arrived from Odisha and that he risked missing his international connection from Delhi despite rescheduling.
Another described waiting 12 hours at Jharsuguda airport before being told to travel to Raipur where his alternative flight was also cancelled.
Several passengers said they had been left without answers, with some alleging that the airline had no clarity about which flights would operate.
Visuals from Bilaspur airport showed passengers shouting slogans against the airline.
Additional manpower deployed at Pune airport
At Pune Airport, 16 arriving and 16 departing IndiGo flights were cancelled between midnight and 8 am on Friday and one flight was diverted to Hyderabad due to FDTL issues.
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 mobilised across operations, terminal management, security, apron services and passenger facilitation to ensure smooth functioning," the statement said.
Pune Airport said it was coordinating with airlines, ground handling agencies, Air Traffic Control, CISF and terminal service partners to manage congestion and assist passengers. Airport authorities also expressed gratitude to travellers for their patience during the disruption.
Chaotic scenes in J&K
In Jammu and Kashmir, 13 IndiGo flights from Srinagar and 11 from Jammu were cancelled on Friday.
The cancellations led to protests against the airline by passengers who had turned up at the airport, resulting in chaos. "However, the situation was brought under control immediately," an official said. Passengers described long waits, repeated cancellations and a lack of assistance.
A passenger, scheduled to travel to Delhi, said the situation has left people frustrated.
"In their frustration, the passengers were shouting and demanding an explanation for the flight delays and cancellations," the passenger, who wished not to be named, said.
A Kolkata resident said his connecting flight to Delhi was cancelled after assurance that it would be available. A couple from Kerala said they missed a family function due to the sudden cancellation of their Srinagar flight.
In Jammu, passengers queued for hours seeking clarity on their flight status. A woman travelling to Lucknow said she had been stranded for three hours with no information.
Another passenger from Bengaluru said her ticket had been cancelled repeatedly since December 2 and that she had already exceeded her leave due to the delays.
Northern Railways announced the addition of a third AC coach with 72 seats to the Jammu New Delhi Rajdhani Express for seven days beginning Friday night to help stranded passengers.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Uchit Singhal said the decision comes to facilitate stranded passengers and provide them comfort.
Stranded passengers can avail of this facility by booking seats in the additional coach, Singhal said.
Cancellations could impact footfall in Goa
Operations at Goa’s Dabolim airport were hit as well. By noon, 31 IndiGo flights had been cancelled and only seven had departed.
The Airports Authority of India said disruptions were caused by a combination of minor technical issues, winter-related weather, air traffic congestion and updated crew rostering norms.
It said the airline had introduced calibrated schedule adjustments for 48 hours to restore punctuality. Tourism stakeholders expressed concern that the cancellations could impact footfall during the peak season.
A chaotic situation was witnessed outside the Dabolim airport. A group of 22 passengers, slated to fly to Ahmadabad, was stranded after their flight was cancelled. "We were not informed in advance (about the cancellation). Till late, they were showing the flight was on time and suddenly they sent a message, saying it has been cancelled," a woman passenger, who was part of the group, told PTI. She maintained the group members were exploring other modes of transport to reach Ahmadabad.
IndiGo cancelled all departing domestic flights from Delhi airport until midnight on Friday as part of its stabilisation efforts.
All domestic flights operating from Terminal 1 at Chennai Airport were cancelled until 11.59 pm on Friday, the airport said.
Passengers across cities reported long delays, lack of communication and uncertainty over alternative travel options. Many said they had no clarity about when they would be able to reach their destinations.