IndiGo, India’s largest domestic airlines, is battling its worst-ever operational crisis, having cancelled more than 4,500 flights since Tuesday last week as disruptions entered their seventh straight day on Monday. Despite urgent interventions by the government and widespread passenger relief measures by the airlines, delays, confusion, and airport overcrowding continue across the country.
The timeline of flight cancellations shows the IndiGo crisis spiralling rapidly:
Tuesday: Over 150 cancellations
Wednesday: Nearly 200 cancellations; IndiGo’s on-time performance drops to 19.7%
Thursday: 300+ cancellations with significant international disruption
Friday: Around 1,600 cancelled – the worst single-day collapse
Saturday: Around 850 cancelled
Sunday: Around 650 flights cancelled
Monday: Travel disruption continues across major airports. Already over 300 cancellations have been reported from Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru.
Major airports remain crippled
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata continue to see the largest operational setbacks.
Monday’s airport-specific disruption included:
Bengaluru: 65 arrivals and 62 departures cancelled
Delhi: 134 cancellations
Chennai: 77 cancellations
Cancelled flights left terminals packed well into the night as passengers scrambled to rebook or locate their luggage. At Delhi’s Terminal 1, IndiGo’s biggest hub, unclaimed baggage lined the arrival area, forcing people to sift through rows of suitcases.