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Crew shortage, technical glitch: What led to Indigo flight delays, cancellations
Flight delays were primarily caused by acute crew shortages, along with technical issues, airport congestion and other operational constraints.
Thousands of passengers faced long delays at India’s major airports on Wednesday as IndiGo struggled with operational disruptions. About 70 flights, including those from Bengaluru and Mumbai, were delayed, triggering widespread criticism.
Even as the carrier struggled to get the flight operating behind the schedule, several passengers took to social media to vent their grievance, complaining of long delays and lack of information from the airline staff.
What led to the delay?
Flight delays were primarily caused by acute crew shortages, along with technical issues, airport congestion, and other operational constraints.
IndiGo issued an official statement acknowledging the widespread disruptions. The airline attributed delays to “operational challenges,” including technology issues, airport congestion and other operational requirements.
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“We have had several unavoidable flight delays and some cancellations in the past few days due to various reasons, including technology issues, airport congestion, and operational requirements. Our teams are working diligently to ensure that operations normalise as soon as possible. Furthermore, we are offering alternate flight options or refunds to affected customers, as applicable,” the airline said.
Social media erupts
Several passengers took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to call out the IndiGo flight delays, sharing that their flights were delayed by over 12 hours.
''I’m currently wasting my time in the Delhi Airport lounge, thanks to the fabulous efficiency of @IndiGo6E flight 6E 5347, delayed by a whole 4 hours. And of course, they didn’t bother informing us, because IndiGo believes quality time is best spent at the airport rather than at home,'' a frustrated passenger wrote.
''Absolute chaos & mockery at #Delhiairport. #Indigo staff are leeches who are lying & passengers are stranded since past 12+ hours with no confirmatiom. My flight is delayed for 7+ hours now. Never flying Indigo again. This needs to be investigated,'' another passenger wrote.
Impact on passengers
The disruptions caused chaos at major airports, leaving passengers frustrated and stranded for hours. Long queues, unclear announcements, and repeated schedule changes compounded the problem. Many passengers took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, describing delays and cancellations as a failure of airline management.
Chaos at Hyderabad airport
The situation escalated further at Hyderabad airport, where passengers were seen arguing with airline staff amid prolonged delays. IndiGo confirmed that flight 6E-786 from Mumbai to Hyderabad was delayed by nearly 10 hours due to “operational reasons.” Scheduled to depart on the evening of December 2, the flight eventually left Mumbai only the following morning.
A video from the airport showed a large crowd surrounding the IndiGo helpdesk on Wednesday morning. Passengers could be seen raising their voices, waving tickets and phones, and demanding clear answers. Airline employees appeared overwhelmed while trying to pacify the crowd. Despite repeated explanations, angry exchanges continued as travellers sought accountability.
IndiGo on-time performance from six key domestic airports plummeted to 35 per cent on Tuesday whereas Air India clocked 67.2 per cent, Air India Express 79.5 per cent, SpiceJet 82.50 per cent and Akasa Air 73.20 per cent, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry website.
(With PTI inputs)
