IndiGo cancels 550 flights, airports see continued turmoil

Scenes from Mumbai airport. Shortage of pilots at IndiGo resulted in at least 200 flights getting cancelled on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, and massive delays of up to 12 hours.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

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

The last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network and operations. 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…

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) December 4, 2025

According to PTI, IndiGo cancelled over 550 domestic and international flights. Major airports affected included Mumbai (85 flights), Bengaluru (73), Hyderabad (68), Chennai (31), and Delhi (30). At Hyderabad airport, passengers raised slogans.

Meanwhile, top IndiGo officials met Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and Faiz Kidwai, head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

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

During the meeting, IndiGo also informed officials that the widespread flight disruptions were due to “misjudgement and planning gaps” in implementing the set of norms governing rest and duty for pilots from November 1, primarily those on restricting night flying. The airline accepted that the actual crew requirement exceeded the numbers they had anticipated.

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

IndiGo has sought exemption from implementing the norms on reduced night flying hours until February 10. The regulator will review this demand from the airline. The airline has to submit a detailed road map outlining projected crew recruitment in relation to aircraft induction as well as measures for crew training, roster restructuring.

IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers also wrote to employees on 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”, which was being done.

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 didn’t have pilots available, airport officials struggled to have the bays vacated.

(With PTI inputs)

Published – December 04, 2025 10:48 pm IST