IndiGo halts all domestic departures from Delhi as nationwide flight chaos deepens

India’s largest carrier, IndiGo, on December 5 canceled all departing domestic flights from Delhi airport until midnight, escalating a crisis that has already crippled air travel nationwide. The disruption — triggered by operational missteps, staffing shortages and the rollout of new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms — has left thousands of passengers stranded and triggered widespread public outrage.

Sources said that more than 220 flights were cancelled at Delhi alone, with cancellations spreading to Bengaluru (100+ flights) and Hyderabad (90+ flights). Nationwide, the fallout from IndiGo’s network collapse has now affected more than a thousand scheduled flights.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which earlier flagged the airline’s “unusually high” daily cancellations — averaging 170 to 200 — has launched a detailed review with IndiGo’s top management.

‘Network significantly disrupted’: IndiGo’s admission

In a statement, IndiGo acknowledged severe disruption to its network over the last two days and apologised to passengers. The airline informed the DGCA that it will cut scheduled flights from December 8 and expects full operational normalcy only by February 10, 2026.

The carrier admitted that planning gaps and misjudgment during the rollout of Phase II of the new pilot duty-rest norms triggered the cascading failures.

Passenger frustration spills over

Scenes of frustration unfolded across airports. Many passengers reported hours-long queues, no clarity from staff, and lack of basic services.

“We’ve been awake since 5 am, waiting for hours with no information,” said one stranded traveller at Delhi airport. “We have a wedding to attend… it’s a complete mess.”

Even as Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) confirmed other airlines remain operational, IndiGo passengers continued to report cancellations, delays, and rebookings onto next-day flights.

Rahul Gandhi hits out

The crisis has entered the political arena. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the developments, accusing the government of creating conditions for monopolistic market behaviour.

“IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this government’s monopoly model… Once again, ordinary Indians pay the price — in delays, cancellations and helplessness,” he posted on X.

Govt intervention and regulatory pressure

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu summoned IndiGo executives, expressing “strong displeasure” and urging immediate stabilisation of flight operations and airfare monitoring.

IndiGo has requested temporary exemptions from parts of the new FDTL norms, especially those affecting night operations, until February. The regulator is reviewing the request but has not yet agreed to relaxations.

Why the system collapsed

Under new FDTL rules implemented in two phases — July 1 and November 1:

• Weekly pilot rest time was raised from 36 to 48 hours
• Night landings reduced from six to two
• Consecutive night duties limited to two days a week
• “Night window” definition expanded

Combined with dense winter fog and IndiGo’s crew shortage, the result has been a network breakdown — with delays rapidly turning into mass cancellations.

Kolkata airport shows ripple effects

In Kolkata alone, at least 21 cancellations and 177 delays were reported in just 24 hours. An internal report showed 24 IndiGo flights affected between noon and 8 pm — four cancelled and 20 delayed.

IndiGo handles 66% of traffic at the airport, amplifying the chaos.

A long road to normalcy

Despite emergency measures, cancellations continue to rise, and India’s air travel ecosystem — heavily dependent on a single dominant carrier — remains under strain.

With investigations ongoing and regulators undecided on exemptions, IndiGo’s crisis is now testing not just airline operations, but India’s aviation resilience itself.