Stranded with father’s mortal remains, Bengaluru woman victim of IndiGo mess: 'Asthi visarjan is tomorrow'

Namita, who was travelling to Haridwar for her father’s asthi visarjan, said IndiGo cancelled the flight without prior notice.

A woman travelling with her father’s mortal remains was left stranded at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport after her flight to Delhi was cancelled without prior notice on Friday.

With no alternative arrangements offered, Namita was suggested to book a flight with other airlines. (ANI)

Namita, who was travelling to Haridwar for her father’s asthi visarjan, said the cancellation had jeopardised her plans to reach Delhi and then board a connecting flight to Dehradun, the nearest airport to Haridwar, where the immersion of ashes in the Ganga was scheduled.

“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,” Namita was quoted as saying by ANI.

With no alternative arrangements offered, Namita was suggested to book a flight with other airlines, but the fares were around ₹60,000 per person, an amount she could not afford. She added that they were now unable to reach Haridwar and that all their money had gone to waste. A partial refund, she claimed, would be issued only after a week, with no clarity on how much would be deducted.

“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, visibly distressed, in a video shared by ANI.

Appealing directly to authorities, Namita urged government intervention so she can reach Haridwar in time for the crucial ritual. “I request the government to arrange something for me. My father’s asthi visarjan in Ganga ji is very urgent,” she said.

IndiGo cancels all departure flights from Delhi

IndiGo on Friday cancelled all its departure flights from Delhi's IGI airport till midnight amid operational disruptions, airport officials told HT. Chaos continued to break out in the day as more than 1,000 IndiGo flights were cancelled since Tuesday and many others were delayed across several airports in India.

At the Chennai airport also, IndiGo cancelled all its departure flights till 6 pm. Visuals surfaced on social media showing queues outside IndiGo counters at several airports, as passengers complained of disruptions to their flights.

What's causing the disruptions?

The flight disruptions have mainly been linked to the new flight duty rules that came into force on November 1 and IndiGo’s difficulties in putting in place the second phase of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

After a detailed review meeting with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aviation regulator said, “To reduce passenger inconvenience while maintaining safety margins, IndiGo has requested operational variations or exemptions from specific FDTL provisions for A320 operations up to February 10, 2026.”

“IndiGo has assured DGCA that corrective actions are underway and that normalised and stable operations will be fully restored by February 10, 2026,” it added.

The rules have hit IndiGo hardest as it runs a high-frequency, high-utilisation model with many early-morning and late-night flights.