IndiGo flight chaos to persist today, warns Delhi airport amid slow operational recovery

IndiGo’s nationwide operational crisis has continued to ripple across India, with thousands of passengers still facing cancellations, delays, missing baggage and pending refunds.

Flight delays linked to IndiGo’s ongoing operational crisis are expected to continue on Monday, Delhi airport cautioned in an advisory issued early in the day.

The airport authority urged travellers to verify their flight status before leaving for the terminal, noting that schedules remain unstable as the airline works to restore normal operations.

Passenger Advisory issued at 06:30 Hours#DelhiAirport#PassengerAdvisory#DELAdvisorypic.twitter.com/hrpGxn7Oxr

— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) December 8, 2025

“IndiGo flights may continue to experience delays. Passengers are advised to check the latest flight status with their airline before heading to the airport to avoid any circumstances,” the advisory said.

IndiGo’s nationwide operational crisis has continued to ripple across India, with thousands of passengers still facing cancellations, delays, missing baggage and pending refunds. Over six days, the airline cancelled more than 2,000 domestic and international flights, triggering widespread chaos at major airports.

The airline said it has so far processed Rs 610 crore in refunds and delivered around 3,000 pieces of delayed baggage. On Sunday, IndiGo operated about 1,650 of its scheduled 2,300 flights, while roughly 650 remained cancelled. The carrier has announced automatic refunds for cancelled bookings and waived change and cancellation fees for travel between December 5 and 15.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted a one-time 24-hour extension to IndiGo’s Accountable Manager and CEO to reply to the show-cause notice issued on December 6 over large-scale disruptions and alleged non-compliances. The officials sought additional time citing operational constraints linked to the scale of the airline’s network and multiple factors behind the disruptions.

After reviewing the request, the DGCA extended the deadline only until 6 pm on December 8 and warned that no further extensions would be granted. Failure to submit a comprehensive response, the regulator said, would result in the case being decided ex parte.

The show-cause notice, issued to CEO Pieter Elbers, accused the airline of “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management” and a failure to adequately prepare for new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. The DGCA said this amounted to prima facie non-compliance with the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and related crew duty and rest regulations.

The regulator also flagged shortcomings in passenger care, noting that IndiGo did not provide mandatory assistance to those affected by cancellations and delays, in violation of passenger rights norms.

As disruptions persisted on Sunday, over 400 flights were cancelled, IndiGo said it expects to stabilise operations by December 10. CEO Pieter Elbers said the airline is “recovering from the disruption” and plans to operate around 1,650 flights as it adapts to the impact of the revised FDTL rules.

Major hubs, including Hyderabad, Kolkata and Delhi, saw the highest cancellations as thousands of passengers remained stranded or awaiting refunds.