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IndiGo meltdown hits 16,500 passengers in Capital alone
The mayhem also extended to missing luggage, with some stating they had not recovered baggage checked in three to four days earlier.
IndiGo cancelled 163 domestic flights and delayed 98 of 101 departures at Delhi airport on Thursday, affecting approximately 16,500 passengers and leaving many stranded for over 24 hours as the airline’s operational crisis entered its third day.
According to a Delhi airport official, who asked not to be named, the average delay per flight was 160 minutes due to crew-related issues. The airline cancelled 77 arrivals and 86 departures, all domestic flights, compounding the chaos from Wednesday.
The mayhem also extended to missing luggage, with some stating they had not recovered baggage checked in three to four days earlier.
When HT visited Terminal 1 on Thursday afternoon, crowds of anxious passengers had gathered at IndiGo ticket counters seeking information about both flight disruptions and lost luggage containing important documents, medicines and valuables.
Thirty-year-old Gaurav Verma will have waited around 24 hours at Indira Gandhi International Airport by Friday morning to board a flight to Pune, after IndiGo made multiple changes to his schedule. “My flight was scheduled to depart at 4am Thursday but it was cancelled. IndiGo informed me at 10pm Wednesday that they could accommodate me on another flight at 5.55am. After boarding began, we waited inside shuttle buses for an hour. When we finally boarded, we waited five more hours before being told the flight was cancelled,” Verma told HT.
“I’ve now got a flight at 5.50am Friday. I have no place to stay in Delhi so I will spend the night at the airport,” he said.
Jyotsna Saxena, who arrived from the US via Chennai, said her IndiGo flight landed in Delhi at 6.30am Tuesday but she still has not found three checked suitcases. “I’m supposed to leave for the US on Saturday. How will I do so without my luggage?” she asked.
Dhirender Shukla, 45, a diabetic, missed his Ranchi meeting and lacks access to medicines packed in his luggage. “I have been waiting for hours now,” he said.
Similar scenes unfolded at Terminals 2 and 3. Many passengers spent thousands of rupees beyond their budgets on last-minute alternative flights or hotel rooms.
“I was supposed to travel from Delhi to Dubai with a layover in Mumbai but the delay made me miss the connecting flight. I still haven’t found my luggage, and around ₹90,000 is stuck with the travel agent,” said 19-year-old Mohammed Asif.
Passengers said the airline assured them their luggage would be delivered.
As delays continued throughout the day, frustrated passengers argued with airline staff at boarding gates. Those who had opted for IndiGo’s Plan B—a free service allowing alternate flights or refunds in case of delays or cancellations—found even alternative flights were delayed or cancelled.
“When I tried to reschedule using Plan B, the IndiGo website reported my flight was not eligible. Many other passengers encountered the same problem,” said Madhu Soodhan, who was waiting to travel to Kerala.
International passengers faced similar difficulties. Wieger Braak, 19, from Amsterdam said he missed his brother’s hockey tournament in Chennai due to delays. “We’ve been here since 1am trying to book another flight, but to no avail,” he said.
Particularly affected were those travelling for family emergencies. “My grandfather is hospitalised in Jammu and I need to reach today. There is no other flight to Jammu today but I still came to the airport because I need to get home,” said 22-year-old Hussain.
