Chaos erupted at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport as a series of flight cancellations by budget carrier IndiGo left hundreds of passengers stranded for consecutive days. The disruptions, which began on Wednesday, continued into Thursday, turning travel plans into nightmares for families, tourists, and elderly passengers.
Families Stranded, Forced to Pay Hefty Rebooking Fees
Outside the departure terminal, a young couple from Mizoram sat helplessly, their toddler asleep on the mother's lap. Their flight home had been cancelled for the second straight day on Thursday. The father was repeatedly dialing IndiGo's customer care helpline. The airline's only alternative was a rebooking option costing nearly Rs 50,000, with no guarantee the family would get seats together 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 travelled to Delhi for a family function and were now desperate to return, with their work getting affected. She pointed out that other stranded families were in worse situations, with some tourists stuck as every new flight option was either full or exorbitantly priced.
Elderly Passengers Endure 14-Hour Ordeal
A few metres away, another family's plight highlighted the human cost of the operational failure. Travelling with elderly parents, they had woken up at 6 am in Noida for a 9:45 am flight to Patna, only to learn upon arrival that it was cancelled. Their journey turned into a marathon wait, with the next available departure at midnight. "My wife is 80. We have been here since morning. How should anyone feel in this situation?" the elderly passenger asked, visibly frustrated. He noted that the delays were systemic, requiring a backlog to clear first.
The confusion was not limited to domestic travelers. A Russian tourist heading to Goa struggled to communicate with airline staff using a translator app after multiple reschedules. Her summary of the experience was bleak: "Holiday became problem. No one explains."
Widespread Disruption and Social Media Outcry
The scene across the departure gates was one of collective uncertainty. Families sat on luggage, passengers paced nervously, and many waited in a temporary area set up outside, unsure whether to leave or hold on for a last-minute update. Some who had completed web check-in felt trapped, fearing they would lose their seats if they left the airport.
Inside the terminal, long queues snaked across check-in counters and security belts, with all seating reportedly full. The chaos extended to arrivals as well, with passengers complaining of unusually long waits at baggage belts. One traveler posted a photo online showing a conveyor belt piled with unattended suitcases, calling the situation "chaotic and exhausting."
On social media platform X, complaints poured in from passengers across the country. One user wrote about flights being "cancelled one after another… chaos at the gates… zero communication." Another lamented a delay of over eight hours without meal provisions, calling the service "pathetic."
IndiGo attributed the nationwide disruptions to "unforeseen operational circumstances," linked to staff shortages following newly implemented rest-period rules for crew. While the airline stated it was taking measures to restore schedules, the problem persisted on Thursday, impacting 89 departures and 83 arrivals at Delhi airport alone. For many passengers outside the terminal, the wait continued—marked by endless scrolling on phones and frantic calls—with no clarity on when they would finally fly home.
