Chaos and frustration gripped the departure terminal at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday as multiple passengers, including families with young children and elderly members, found themselves stranded due to repeated flight cancellations by budget carrier IndiGo.
Families Face Second Day of Cancellations
A young couple traveling to Mizoram with their toddler experienced their flight being canceled for the second consecutive day. The child slept on the mother's lap while the father desperately tried to contact IndiGo's customer care helpline. The airline offered them rebooking at a cost of nearly Rs 50,000, with no guarantee of securing seats on the same flight. "We came yesterday as well and returned after waiting for hours when the flight was cancelled. Today, it's the same story," the woman said. They had traveled to Delhi for a family function and were now struggling to return home, with their work getting affected.
She pointed out that many other waiting families were in a more precarious situation. "Some people have hotels booked, some are tourists. They are stuck because every new option is either full or too expensive," she explained. While her family could rely on relatives in Delhi, others were being forced to extend hotel stays or opt for expensive connecting flights after direct routes were axed.
Elderly Passengers Endure 14-Hour Ordeal
Just a few meters away, another family traveling with elderly parents shared their harrowing experience. They had woken up at 6 am in Noida to catch a 9:45 am flight to Patna, having been informed of a 15-minute advancement in departure time. Upon reaching the airport, they discovered their flight was canceled. The next available option was a midnight departure, transforming a short morning journey into a grueling 14-hour wait at the terminal.
"My wife is 80. We have been here since morning. How should anyone feel in this situation?" the elderly passenger asked, visibly frustrated. He added that the delays were not something that could be fixed quickly, as the airline had to first clear a significant backlog of disrupted schedules.
International Tourists Left in the Lurch
The disruption was not limited to domestic travelers. A Russian tourist heading to Goa found herself struggling to communicate with airline staff, relying on a translator app after her flight was rescheduled multiple times. Summarizing her experience through the app, she stated, "Holiday became problem. No one explains."
Across the departure gates, the scene was one of confusion and exhaustion. Families sat on their luggage, passengers paced anxiously, and many waited in a temporary area set up outside, unsure whether to leave or hold out for a last-minute update. Some passengers who had completed web check-in felt particularly trapped, fearing they would lose their seats if they left the airport premises.
Inside the Terminal: Long Queues and Baggage Belt Delays
Inside the terminal, visible through the glass walls, long queues snaked across check-in counters and security belts. Seating areas were reportedly full to capacity. The problems extended to arriving passengers as well, with many complaining about being stuck at baggage belts for unusually long periods. One traveler posted a photo online showing a conveyor belt piled high with unattended suitcases, describing the situation as "chaotic and exhausting."
On social media platform X, complaints flooded in from passengers at airports across India. One user wrote, "Flights getting cancelled one after another... chaos at the gates... zero communication," while another lamented, "Delayed more than eight hours, not offering meals. Pathetic service."
Cause of the Disruption and Airline's Response
The widespread disruption began on Wednesday when IndiGo canceled several flights nationwide from major hubs including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. The airline attributed the cancellations to "unforeseen operational circumstances" linked to crew shortages. These shortages are reportedly connected to the recently implemented revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms, which mandate stricter rest periods for flight crew.
IndiGo stated that measures were being taken to restore normal schedules. However, the problem persisted into Thursday, with 89 departures and 83 arrivals impacted. As the day wore on, many passengers remained outside the airport terminals—waiting, scrolling through phones, and making endless calls—with no certainty about when, or if, they would finally be able to fly to their destinations.
