India’s largest airline, IndiGo, is again at the center of nationwide travel disruption as a new wave of cancellations ripples across the country, affecting busy routes to and from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam and other key cities.

More than 15 additional services have been pulled from schedules on some routes just as the carrier struggles to stabilize operations following weeks of turmoil triggered by a mix of new pilot duty rules, crew shortages and capacity cuts ordered by regulators.

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A Fresh Round of IndiGo Cancellations Hits Key Indian Cities

The latest disruptions come on top of a crisis that has already seen IndiGo cancel or delay hundreds of flights across India since late 2025, particularly at the metro hubs of Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. While the carrier has not publicly itemized every individual service in this newest batch, airport authorities and local reports confirm that more than 15 newly cancelled flights include sectors linking Visakhapatnam with Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Tirupati, as well as knock-on cancellations and long delays on busy trunk routes like Delhi–Mumbai and Bengaluru–Delhi.

In Visakhapatnam alone, IndiGo scrubbed 15 flights in a single day as part of what officials described as a rolling pattern of withdrawals over several days, taking the total to 24 cancellations from that city since the disruptions began. Local authorities cited “operational reasons,” while airline staff pointed to an acute mismatch between high departure volumes and the number of pilots available under tighter duty-time limits. The impact was felt well beyond Andhra Pradesh, as many of these flights served as feeders into larger hubs connected to Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.

Chandigarh and other regional gateways have also reported a cascading effect, with airport operators attributing multiple cancellations and delays to IndiGo’s reduced capacity and systemic schedule changes. Airport managers in several cities are now routinely issuing advisories urging passengers to reconfirm their flights before leaving home, a practice that had become less common in India’s fast-growing but generally reliable domestic aviation market.

Regulatory Squeeze and Pilot Rostering at the Heart of the Crisis

At the core of IndiGo’s ongoing troubles is the implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitations, a stringent set of rest and duty rules rolled out by India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The final phase of these regulations, which took effect in November 2025, lengthened minimum rest periods for pilots and imposed tougher caps on night operations, including restrictions on how many night landings a pilot can perform each week.

The changes were designed to reduce fatigue and enhance air safety after years of concerns about long duty hours in an aggressively expanding aviation market. However, they have collided with IndiGo’s high-utilization, low-cost operating model, exposing what analysts say is a thin buffer in crew strength. With pilots now required to spend more time on rest and less in the cockpit, the airline has suddenly found itself without enough crew to operate its pre-existing schedule at the same intensity.

Rostering complexities multiplied as the new norms required significant reprogramming of crew schedules and more conservative planning around overnight flights. Industry observers note that while other carriers have been affected by the new rules, IndiGo’s sheer scale, reliance on dense rotations and tight turnaround times have made it particularly vulnerable. The airline has sought to rework its rosters and hire additional crew, but those measures take time, leaving passengers stranded in the interim.

Government-Imposed Capacity Cuts Deepen the Disruption

As cancellations mounted and long lines began to build at major airports, the Indian government stepped in, ordering IndiGo to scale back its operations. The winter schedule approved for the airline, which allowed close to 2,200 flights per day, was cut by about 10 percent, translating into roughly 220 flights being pulled from the system on a daily basis at the peak of the crisis.

This regulatory intervention was intended to force the airline to match its schedule to realistic operating capacity, reducing last-minute cancellations and bringing greater predictability for passengers. Nonetheless, it also meant that routes which had already been under strain, such as key metro and business corridors, were suddenly operating with fewer frequencies. Travelers on routes linking Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru have faced not only outright cancellations but also sharply reduced options when trying to rebook.

At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, IndiGo has cancelled scores of flights in recent weeks. Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport has similarly seen dozens of services cut, with airport officials publicly advising passengers that multiple IndiGo flights to Delhi and Mumbai on specific days were cancelled in advance. While the airline insists it is “focused on stabilizing schedules,” the operational reality on the ground remains volatile.

Passengers Stranded, Queues Swell and Tempers Flare

The human cost of the disruptions has been highly visible across India’s airports. In cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chandigarh, passengers report spending hours in queues for rebooking and refunds, with some travelers stranded overnight amid rapid-fire text messages announcing reschedulings, gate changes or cancellations. Video clips and photos circulating on social and local media show crowded terminal halls, overflowing check-in lines and makeshift waiting areas where passengers wait for clarity.

In Chandigarh, airport data show that flights to and from major cities like Chennai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Goa and Mumbai were among those cancelled or significantly delayed on several days, many of them operated by IndiGo. Travelers en route to Bengaluru complained of fares skyrocketing and seats running out on alternative airlines, pushing some to abandon their travel plans entirely or switch to trains.

Reports from Visakhapatnam detail similar scenes, with passengers seeking last-minute alternatives after multiple services to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi were withdrawn. For those with weddings, medical appointments or business meetings, the lack of timely information and limited compensation options has added emotional and financial strain. While the airline has provided meal vouchers and hotel stays in some instances, many passengers say support has been inconsistent, especially when disruptions are announced close to departure time.

Airfares Surge as Travelers Scramble for Alternatives

Perhaps the most striking market reaction to IndiGo’s disrupted schedules has been the surge in domestic airfares. With thousands of IndiGo seats abruptly removed from the market on high-demand routes, remaining capacity on rival carriers has become scarce and expensive. On busy sectors like Delhi–Mumbai, Bengaluru–Delhi, Delhi–Kolkata and Chennai–Mumbai, return fares that typically hover in the 20,000 to 25,000 rupee range have, at times, soared to well over triple that amount for last-minute bookings.

Passengers attempting to salvage plans by hopping to competing airlines have reported round-trip fares nudging 80,000 to 90,000 rupees on certain dates, with very limited inventory left even at those elevated prices. Screenshots shared from booking platforms show economy seats on same-day departures pricing at levels more commonly associated with international business class, underscoring the severity of the capacity crunch.

The price shock has been particularly acute for travelers in smaller cities such as Chandigarh and Amritsar, who rely on connections through Delhi or Mumbai. For many, the cost of replacing an IndiGo ticket with another carrier has proved prohibitive, leading them to postpone trips or seek cheaper, slower alternatives like long-distance trains. Indian Railways has responded by announcing a series of special trains on key corridors traditionally served by IndiGo, including several Mumbai–Delhi services, in a bid to absorb some of the displaced air passengers.

Rail and Road Networks Step In to Fill the Gap

As IndiGo’s schedule cuts rippled through the aviation system, India’s extensive rail network has moved quickly to capture demand. Railway zones including Western, Central, Northern, South Central and South Eastern have notified dozens of special trains on routes linking Mumbai, Delhi and other major cities, timed to coincide with the peak of the airline disruption. These trains, often running with higher fares than regular services but still well below emergency air prices, offer a safety valve for travelers who cannot justify sky-high last-minute air tickets.

Railway authorities have even coordinated with airport operators in some locations, posting information about special trains inside terminals and setting up help desks to guide stranded flyers toward rail options. In effect, the national rail system has become an overflow channel for India’s air capacity shock, blurring the traditional boundary between the two modes for time-sensitive passengers.

On key regional corridors, intercity bus and car services have also seen a spike in demand. Routes from Chandigarh and other northern cities toward Delhi and from tier-two hubs into state capitals such as Bengaluru and Chennai have experienced rising bookings as passengers stitch together multi-leg ground journeys to replace a single, now-cancelled flight. The shift highlights both the resilience of India’s wider transport ecosystem and the vulnerability of itineraries that depend heavily on a single dominant airline.

Foggy Skies Add Weather Woes to Operational Strain

Compounding IndiGo’s internally driven disruptions, a spell of dense winter fog across northern India has periodically crippled flight operations at airports in Delhi, Chandigarh and other affected cities. Low visibility in early January has forced carriers to divert, delay or cancel services, further unsettling schedules even on days when airlines might otherwise have been able to operate their reduced rosters more smoothly.

IndiGo has warned passengers that visibility issues at Chandigarh and other northern airports could impact flight timings, urging travelers to track their flight status via the airline’s digital channels before leaving for the airport. Other carriers, including Air India, have issued similar advisories as they brace for weather-induced disruptions on top of industry-wide challenges in crew management and congestion.

For passengers already weary of crew-related cancellations and long queues, weather-related delays can feel like yet another layer of uncertainty. Fog episodes typically ease as the day progresses, but early-morning operations, which are central to IndiGo’s high-frequency domestic network, are particularly vulnerable. The result is a complex blend of operational and meteorological factors that can turn a single day’s travel into a rolling puzzle of shifting departure boards and growing passenger frustration.

IndiGo’s Recovery Plan and the Road Ahead for Indian Aviation

IndiGo’s management has repeatedly stated that the airline is working to restore stability, promising to adjust schedules, recruit more crew and refine rostering in line with the new regulatory environment. Top executives have argued that the worst of the disruption is temporary and that the carrier remains fundamentally strong, pointing to its market-leading fleet, dominant domestic share and historically high reliability.

Yet the scale and duration of the current turmoil have raised deeper questions about resilience in India’s booming aviation sector. With IndiGo carrying such a large share of the country’s domestic passengers, any sustained problem at the airline quickly translates into system-wide stress, from spiraling airfares to congestion at airport terminals and sudden pressure on rail and road networks. Regulators, policymakers and industry players are now debating whether more built-in redundancy, either through greater competition or stricter capacity planning, is needed to protect travelers from similar shocks in the future.

For now, passengers on routes linking Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam and dozens of other cities remain on edge, often compelled to monitor their itinerary up to the last minute and keep backup plans in mind. Each new batch of cancellations, including the most recent withdrawal of more than 15 flights from important regional and metro pairings, underscores how quickly India’s air connectivity can be thrown off balance when its biggest carrier stumbles.