India’s largest airline, IndiGo is facing one of its worst operational meltdowns in recent years, with flight disruptions across the country continuing for a fourth straight day. Thousands of passengers have been stranded at major airports since Tuesday (2 Dec) after sudden mass cancellations and delays from IndiGo’s side.
The Reason Behind the Chaos
The disruption started from IndiGo’s struggle to comply with the aviation regulator’s newly enforced Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) Phase II rules. These rules were aimed at improving pilot rest, reducing fatigue and limiting night duty-hours which came fully into force in November 2025. IndiGo reported that it had underestimated the crew strength required under the new norms. As a result, many pilots and cabin crew became unavailable for duty, leaving the duty incomplete which has caused cancellation of hundreds of flights.
Day By Day Breakdown of the Disruptions
- 2 December 2025 (Tuesday)
The first signs of trouble appeared as 200 flights were cancelled and delayed. Large crowd began stranded at Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kochi airports as passengers were struggled to get clear updates.
- 3 December 2025 (Wednesday)
Cancellations continued to rise even higher. Another 200 flights were cancelled nationwide. Stranded passengers complaints about long queues, missing luggage and improper rescheduling procedures.
- 4 December 2025 (Thursday)
The situation worsened where dozens of IndiGo flights were cancelled in a single morning with stranded passengers sleeping on floors and waiting for hours for clear updates.
- 5 December 2025 (Friday)
The disruptions have now spilled into the fourth consecutive day, Key airports like Bengaluru, Kerala and more continue to see more stranded passengers.
The DGCA has stepped in, demanding a detailed corrective action plan from IndiGo and an explanation for the four consecutive days of disruptions, including why the airline failed to comply with the new FDTL norms despite having months of notice. IndiGo has informed authorities that it will begin reducing flight operations starting December 8 to rebuild crew strength. The airline also said it will recruit more pilots, accelerate training, and aims to restore stable operations by February 2026.
Indigo has issued a official public apology saying that the disruptions resulted from a “cascading impact” of crew unavailability, and peak travel congestion. The airline said it is reallocating aircraft, adjusting schedules and working to restore normal operations.
Sources: The Hindu, Hindustan Times, Times of India
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