At least 102 flights cancelled as IndiGo fiasco continues
Severe disruptions at Kempegowda International Airport led to IndiGo cancelling 102 flights, stranding passengers and disrupting travel plans nationwide.
Severe disruptions at Kempegowda International Airport stretched into Friday as IndiGo cancelled at least 102 flights, leaving passengers stranded, ceremonies disrupted and travel plans upended across the country. Airport officials said 52 arrivals and 50 departures were called off due to what the airline described as operational difficulties.
The turmoil intensified just days before IndiGo is set to scale back its schedule. The airline informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation that it will reduce flights beginning December 8, cautioning that delays and cancellations are expected to continue for another 2 or 3 days. Friday’s cancellations followed a day when 99 flights were scrapped at the Bengaluru airport.
Passengers travelling to major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune bore the brunt of the cascading chaos. Many complained that they learned of cancellations only after reaching the airport, saying there had been no alerts from the airline.
“Like a hostage situation at the Bangalore airport: IndiGo passengers stuck for over 24 hours with zero updates. Flights cancelled or delayed, luggage taken, cancellations impossible. Still boarding passes are getting issued. Need immediate action,” wrote one traveller, Shubha, on X. Another parent, seeking help from authorities, posted, “My son had an Indigo flight from Bangalore to Delhi on December 4 at 10 pm. The flight is being delayed every two hours and the status for flying is still not available. My son has been at the airport since last night and needs your intervention.”
The disruptions have had far-reaching personal consequences. A newly married couple from Bengaluru was forced to join their own wedding reception in Hubballi by video call after they were stranded in Bhubaneswar, more than 1,000 km from home. The pair, who married on November 23, had booked a Bhubaneswar–Bengaluru–Hubballi itinerary for their December 3 reception. Their flight, repeatedly delayed from the morning of December 2, was cancelled in the early hours of the next day. Several relatives travelling on connecting flights through Mumbai also faced extensive delays or cancellations. “The flight kept getting delayed and at the last moment, at around 4 am, it got cancelled,” said the bride’s father, Anil Kumar Ksheerasagar.
Airport authorities announced on Friday that all flights from Bengaluru to Delhi and Mumbai had been cancelled until midnight. Travellers were urged to check directly with the airline before setting out for the airport.
Tensions inside the terminal escalated as passengers dealing with cancelled flights staged a protest. Many described arriving at the airport only to find their flights grounded despite online schedules still showing services as on time.
Among those affected was a family travelling to Haridwar for an asthi visarjan ceremony. They said they received notice of the cancellation only after they had nearly reached the airport. Several passengers recounted similar experiences. “They could have told us in advance. The online status still shows the flight is on time. When I entered the departure gate, I got to know that the flight had been cancelled. We would have made alternate arrangements if we were informed before. I am travelling from Brazil and I perhaps have to wait till tomorrow morning here,” one flyer said.
Another passenger, unable to travel to Varanasi for a grandmother’s first death anniversary, said rising last-minute airfares were compounding the distress. “Everyone is there but we will not be able to go. We don’t know if we will get a refund or our flight will be rescheduled. All people here are facing similar problems. The price of flights have spiked at the last moment.”
In one of the cases, a woman carrying her father’s remains found her flight to Delhi cancelled without warning. Namita, who needed to reach Haridwar via Delhi and Dehradun for the final rites, said the cancellation had derailed an essential religious obligation. “I have to reach Delhi from Bengaluru, then board a flight to Dehradun from Delhi to reach Haridwar. The asthi visarjan has to be done tomorrow,” she said. She was advised to rebook on another airline, but fares were as high as ₹60,000 per person. “The flight has been cancelled without any prior notification. Now they are saying that they have no flights for today. They are asking us to book a flight with other airlines. Flight tickets for other flights cost ₹60,000 per person, which I cannot afford… We are not able to reach Haridwar,” she said, adding that she expected only a partial refund and with no clarity on the amount.
