Newlyweds ‘attend’ wedding reception via video call amid IndiGo flight cancellation: Report

When a newly married couple from Bengaluru faced flight cancellations, they turned to technology to celebrate their reception in Hubballi.

An unusual situation played out in Hubballi, Karnataka, when a newly married couple was forced to “attend” their own wedding reception through a video call after widespread IndiGo flight disruptions left them stranded hundreds of kilometres away.

The bride and groom joined their guests virtually amid travel disruptions caused by IndiGo’s operational issues. (The Indian Index/X)

Medha Kshirsagar from Hubballi and her husband, Sangama Das from Bhubaneswar, both Bengaluru-based software professionals, had planned a traditional reception at Gujarat Bhavan in Hubballi on Wednesday, following their wedding in Bhubaneswar on November 23.

But what was meant to be a joyful second celebration soon went off script, said a report by the NDTV. Ongoing nationwide flight cancellations triggered by IndiGo’s pilot shortage completely derailed their travel plans. The couple, who were scheduled to fly from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru and then to Hubballi on December 2, found themselves stuck after their flight kept getting pushed forward from 9 am on Tuesday, only to be fully cancelled early the next morning.

They weren’t the only ones hit by the chaos, several family members travelling on alternate routes, including via Mumbai, also had their flights scrapped, said the report.

With the venue decorated, guests waiting, and no time to postpone, the bride’s parents stepped up. They occupied the ceremonial seats meant for Medha and Sangama and carried out the rituals on behalf of the couple. Meanwhile, the newlyweds got dressed in their wedding finery in Bhubaneswar and joined the function virtually, interacting with guests through a live video stream, the report noted.

When the flight was cancelled at 4 am, the bride's parents still hoped they might find a way to come, but it didn’t happen.

IndiGo’s widespread disruptions

IndiGo has been grappling with major operational setbacks this week, cancelling hundreds of flights after failing to adequately adjust to new government-mandated duty-time regulations for pilots.

Airports in major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, and Bhopal have seen large-scale disruptions, leaving thousands of travellers stranded.

On Thursday alone, the airline grounded more than 500 flights, its highest single-day cancellation count in two decades of operations, the report stated. IndiGo has informed the DGCA that it expects normalcy to return only by February 10 and has requested temporary easing of crew-duty norms.

Admitting that the ongoing turmoil stems from misjudgment and gaps in implementing the second phase of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), the airline has warned that cancellations will continue until December 8, followed by reduced flight capacity thereafter.