Passengers across India are facing severe travel disruption and exorbitant airfares as budget carrier IndiGo continues to cancel a significant number of flights. The crisis, stemming from crew shortages under new duty rules, has left hundreds stranded and ticket prices on key routes skyrocketing to unprecedented levels.
Fares Reach Astronomical Heights on Major Routes
The immediate fallout of the cancellations is a dramatic surge in last-minute ticket prices on other airlines, as desperate passengers scramble for limited seats. On Friday, December 5, the only available Mumbai-Delhi flight was quoting a staggering fare of Rs 51,860 per passenger. The reverse route, Delhi-Mumbai, was not far behind, with the sole available seat priced at Rs 48,972.
The situation remained critical for Saturday travel as well. While Delhi-Mumbai flights on Saturday started at ₹24,999, Mumbai-Delhi fares began at ₹19,259 for a 3:20 AM departure. Other major corridors were equally affected. The Delhi-Bengaluru route saw fares starting from Rs 39,101 for Saturday. Shockingly, the Mumbai-Bengaluru sector showed no flight availability for both Friday and Saturday.
Stranded Passengers Voice Anger and Helplessness
The human cost of the operational meltdown is being borne by passengers like Riya Sharma, a 21-year-old student stranded in Mumbai. "I tried checking other airlines after my IndiGo flight was cancelled, but the fares from Mumbai to Delhi are impossible right now," she said. "Today’s only available seat was showing over ₹50,000... I can’t book any of that when my IndiGo refund hasn’t even come. My money is stuck, and the prices are too high."
Amit Desai, trying to travel from Mumbai to Bengaluru, echoed the frustration. "I checked every other airline after the cancellation, but there are no flights from Mumbai to Bengaluru for today or tomorrow... How do we rebook at those rates when our original ticket money is still with IndiGo? We’re just stranded here with no refunds, no options, and no clarity."
The chaos extended to popular tourist hubs. Passengers stuck in Goa faced steep fares for outbound flights. A Saturday flight from Goa to Kolkata was priced from Rs 42,582, while Goa-Delhi tickets started at Rs 35,946 and Goa-Mumbai at Rs 20,669. These fares were sourced from cleartrip.com between 2:30 PM and 2:50 PM on Friday.
Root Cause: Crew Shortages and Regulatory Changes
The disruption has its roots in revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms, which limit duty hours for pilots and cabin crew. According to officials, these updated rules have disrupted IndiGo’s rostering, creating a severe shortage of deployable crew across key sectors. This has caused a cascading effect on aircraft schedules, particularly on high-density routes like Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai.
The scale of cancellations has escalated sharply. On Wednesday, IndiGo cancelled 55 flights (29 arrivals and 26 departures). The situation worsened on Thursday, with estimates of 100 to 118 cancellations. The peak was reached on Friday at Mumbai airport alone, where 104 flights were cancelled—53 departures and 51 arrivals—marking the third consecutive day of large-scale disruptions.
IndiGo has apologised for the inconvenience and stated it is offering full refunds or free rebooking to affected passengers. However, with operations still unstable, officials expect delays and cancellations to continue. In a briefing to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the airline outlined a recovery plan, stating it would reduce flights from December 8 and expects to fully restore stable operations by February 10, 2026.
In a move providing some relief to airlines, the DGCA on Friday withdrew a specific instruction related to crew rest. The regulator stated, "In view of the ongoing operational disruptions... the instruction... that no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest is hereby withdrawn with immediate effect." This decision may help airlines better manage their crew rosters in the short term.
