IndiGo says flight delays and cancellations to continue for next two or three days

Chaotic scenes persisted at airports across the country as IndiGo’s flight delays stretched into Thursday (December 4, 2025), forcing the cancellation of at least 250 flights across four major airports. The disruption also hit other carriers, which were forced to cancel some flights as IndiGo aircraft occupied parking bays amid lack of available crew.

Around 30 IndiGo flights were cancelled in Delhi, 73 in Bengaluru, 68 in Hyderabad, and 85 in Mumbai. At Hyderabad airport, frustrated passengers staged a demonstration inside the terminal, chanting slogans against IndiGo over the mounting flight delays.

Top IndiGo officials also met Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and Faiz Kidwai, Director-General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

‘Misjudgment and planning gaps’

The airline informed them that it would curtail flights from December 8 to minimise flight disruptions, but said that in the meantime, delays and cancellations will continue for the next two to three days, according to a DGCA statement.

During the meeting, IndiGo also informed officials that the widespread flight disruptions were due to “misjudgment and planning gaps” in implementing the DGCA’s norms governing rest and duty for pilots from November 1, primarily those restricting night flying. The airline accepted that its actual crew requirement exceeded what it had anticipated.

Mr. Naidu expressed clear displeasure regarding the manner in which the situation has been handled by IndiGo, and stressed that ample preparatory time was given to ensure a seamless transition to the new rules, the DGCA statement explained.

Seeks exemption till Feb 10

IndiGo has requested an exemption from implementing the norm on reduced flying during night hours, until February 10. The regulator will review this request from the airline, which has been asked to submit a detailed roadmap outlining its projected crew recruitment in relation to aircraft induction as well as measures for crew training and roster restructuring.

The airline has also been directed to urgently deploy additional staff at airports to ensure adequate passenger support.

IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers also wrote to employees about the crisis and explained that “given the size, scale and complexity of our network, these disruptions grow large immediately and require interventions on multiple levels”. This is now being done, he said.

Stuck in Pune parking bays

Meanwhile, IndiGo’s flight disruptions spilled over to other airlines. At Pune airport, nine of the 10 parking bays were occupied by IndiGo aircraft overnight, leaving just one parking bay available for use by other airlines. As the airline did not have pilots available, airport officials struggled to have the bays vacated.

The airport, which sees 200 arrivals and departures every day, was forced to cancel 15 flights until noon on Thursday, including those operated by Air India, Akasa, and Air India Express, an airport official said. Some aircraft spent a long time on the taxiway as protesting passengers asked why they were not being deboarded. In certain cases, ramps had to be brought to the taxiway to facilitate deboarding, officials said.

The airline has also been directed to urgently deploy additional staff at airports to ensure adequate passenger support.