IndiGo crisis: Delhi airport authorities say operations returning to normalcy; passengers plight reaches SC

PTC Web Desk:  Flight disruptions at IndiGo stretched into the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, with cancellations continuing across multiple airports nationwide. India’s largest airline has been grappling with severe operational disturbances for nearly a week, cancelling more than 1,000 flights on Friday and over 550 on Thursday.

The Delhi airport issued an advisory on Saturday noting that flight operations are “steadily stabilising” and urged travellers to confirm their flight status before heading out. “We are pleased to share that IndiGo’s services are gradually resuming after the temporary disruption. Passengers are advised to recheck their bookings before leaving home,” the airport stated on X.

The update came a day after IndiGo suspended all domestic departures from Delhi until midnight on Friday.

Petition reaches Supreme Court 

Amid growing passenger frustration, a petition has reached the Supreme Court seeking the Chief Justice of India’s intervention over financial losses and inconvenience faced by travellers. The plea requests the court to take suo motu notice of the situation, direct the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA to present detailed reports, and set up an urgent special Bench to examine the issue.

The DGCA, meanwhile, blamed IndiGo’s internal miscalculations and poor planning while rolling out new flight-duty regulations for pilots, calling it a key reason behind the widespread cancellations.

IndiGo CEO issues apology, sets timeline

IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers, in a video message, acknowledged December 5 as the airline’s “worst-hit day”, with cancellations exceeding 1,000. He apologised to passengers and said full restoration of services would require time.

“We expect to return to normal operations between December 10 and 15. We sincerely regret the disruption this has caused,” Elbers said.

Aviation ministry promises accountability

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu strongly criticised IndiGo’s handling of crew schedules and its implementation of the updated Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms.

In an interview with ANI, he said the ministry granted the airline temporary relaxations to ease the immediate pressure but stressed that accountability is essential. “A committee has been constituted to examine what went wrong. Anyone responsible for this mismanagement will face strict action,” Naidu noted.

Cancellations persist nationwide

Despite signs of improvement in Delhi, several airports across India continued to report cancellations on Saturday morning. At Thiruvananthapuram, three arrivals and three departures were called off. Ahmedabad airport reported seven arrivals and  12 departures grounded between midnight and 6 am on December 6.

Chennai airport saw 29 cancellations by 9 am, indicating that disruptions remain widespread even as the airline works toward stabilising operations.