IndiGo suspends Delhi departures, triggering nationwide travel disruptions

14:40

By: Sahili Aya

IndiGo suspends Delhi departures, triggering nationwide travel disruptions

India faced major air travel disruptions on Friday after IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, halted all domestic departures from New Delhi until midnight due to ongoing operational difficulties.

Delhi International Airport Limited announced on X that all IndiGo domestic flights scheduled to leave the capital on Dec. 5 were cancelled, while services operated by other carriers continued as normal. Airport authorities said ground staff were coordinating with partners to limit inconvenience and support stranded travelers.

The suspension followed several days of widespread cancellations across IndiGo’s network, with hundreds of flights disrupted in major cities including Mumbai and Hyderabad. Local broadcasters and social media posts showed passengers stuck at terminals and struggling to rebook travel.

Among those affected was Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, who reported that he was unable to attend a colleague’s wedding after his flight to Deoghar was cancelled.

India’s Civil Aviation Ministry said late Thursday that it had taken “serious note” of the escalating situation. During a high-level meeting chaired by Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, IndiGo attributed the turmoil to crew-management challenges linked to new duty-time regulations, combined with seasonal weather constraints.

IndiGo stated on X that its teams were “working diligently” to reduce the knock-on effects of the delays and restore normal operations. The airline expects full service to be reinstated by February 2026.

The disruption also sparked political criticism. Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress blamed the situation on what he described as the government’s “monopoly model,” arguing that ordinary travelers were unfairly bearing the cost through cancellations and delays.