IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights on Friday (December 5, 2025) and will axe hundreds more on Saturday (December 6, 2025), crippling air travel across India and sending airfares skyrocketing, which prompted the government to exempt the country’s largest airline from meeting new rules until February 10.

The airline suspended all departures from the Delhi airport for the entire day to reboot its systems and stop cascading delays. It cancelled all its domestic flights from Chennai airport and all flights from Bengaluru to Delhi and Mumbai for the entire day.

With the mass cancellation of flights by IndiGo and fares of other airlines skyrocketing, thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country are heading to nearby railway stations to catch trains to their destinations.

To meet the extra rush of passengers and growing demand for accommodation in air-conditioned coaches, the Indian Railways augmented the capacity of trains across its network.

Although IndiGo saw continued flight cancellations on Saturday (December 6, 2025), some flights still departed from Chennai.

There were delays, but from 3 a.m. onwards, flights to cities including Pune, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Coimbatore, and Kochi departed from the city airport.

Long queues, passengers in tears, and repeated flight cancellations created a morning of severe disruption at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Saturday, as IndiGo continued to face nationwide operational delays.

The disruptions came even as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) placed its Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) orders in abeyance with immediate effect. The regulatory pause follows days of nationwide delays and cancellations affecting IndiGo’s flight operations, causing widespread inconvenience to passengers across sectors.

At Ahmedabad airport alone, between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Saturday, seven arrivals and twelve departures were cancelled, airport officials said. The halt in services triggered long waiting lines, crowding at counters, and growing frustration among passengers unable to find alternate travel options.

Among those impacted was Mahrishi Jani, who broke down while explaining how the disruption cost him and his team an opportunity they had worked towards for months.