IndiGo cancels 292 flights at Bengaluru airport; scores of passengers stranded for over 12 hours

Scores of passengers were stranded overnight at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport due to mass cancellations and delays of IndiGo flights to and from multiple cities.

Sources told Moneycontrol that 292 flights - 125 arrivals and 167 departures - were cancelled at the airport on December 5. The previous day, India's biggest airline cancelled 99 flights at the airport, 62 flights on December 3 and 20 flights on December 2, as IndiGo didn't plan its roster enough in keeping with new government regulations that limit flying hours for pilots.

Several passengers said they had been stuck for more than 12 hours. At 8 am , Nitin Malpani wrote on X: “Flight number 6E684… @IndiGo6E, it’s been more than 12 hours. We have been at Bengaluru airport since 8 pm last evening and we are still here. You are playing with us by simply changing the time. Have some shame… there are kids, seniors and patients.”

Reports have said that IndiGo has told aviation regulator DGCA that its operations would be fully restored by February 10, and sought relief from some provisions that limit pilot duty hours at night.

Chaos prevailed at Bengaluru airport the previous night as frustrated passengers, whose flights were delayed for hours, got into arguments with airline staff and security personnel. Some passengers were even seen sleeping on the floor of terminal 1 at Bengaluru airport. Many other passengers also vented their frustration on social media.