IndiGo flight cancellation: Airline announces full waiver on bookings, ‘thousands’ of hotel rooms arranged for flyers

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In an official statement, IndiGo said it will offer a full waiver on all cancellations and rescheduling charges for travel bookings between December 5 and 15, giving affected passengers the flexibility to change or scrap their plans at no extra cost. The airline added that it is “doing all that is necessary to reboot systems and schedules” after days of mass disruptions.

To deal with stranded flyers, the carrier said it has arranged thousands of hotel rooms across cities and is “trying to ensure” that food is provided at airports to waiting customers, along with lounge access for senior citizens. IndiGo said these steps are part of its efforts to stabilise its network and restore normalcy after what it called a severe operational meltdown.

The airline also acknowledged that December 5 is likely to be the worst day of cancellations in its 20-year history, even as it promised a “progressive improvement” in operations from December 6.

Throughout this week, IndiGo, which operates around 2,300 flights a day with a fleet of more than 400 aircraft, has seen a sharp spike in cancellations and delays across major airports. On Friday alone, the airline scrapped over 700 flights, pushing total cancellations over recent days into the four-figure range and triggering chaos at terminals nationwide.

The situation has been severe enough for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to step in. As disruptions mounted, the regulator withdrew a provision that prevented airlines from counting crew and pilot leave as weekly rest, effectively giving airlines more flexibility in managing rosters under India’s revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules.

IndiGo has linked the crisis primarily to a shortage of pilots that was not anticipated due to planning deficiencies, a point also reflected in the regulator’s own assessment. Authorities have said they are keeping a close watch on the situation as the disruption enters its fourth day.

Scenes from airports showed long queues, crowded gates and angry flyers demanding answers. Several passengers reported that they had already boarded their flights, only to be asked to deboard after last-minute cancellations. Many took to social media to complain about poor communication, lack of information on alternatives and rising ticket prices on rival carriers.