IndiGo shuts Chennai departures till 6 pm amid major cancellations
IndiGo's operational crisis entered Day 3 with over 600 cancellations today, including all departing flights from Chennai until 6 pm. Passengers were stranded outside the airport, alleging poor communication.
IndiGo’s operational crisis deepened on Friday as the airline cancelled all departing flights from Chennai Airport until 6 pm.
Chennai Airport also issued an advisory saying IndiGo had cancelled all departures to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad till 6 pm, citing operational reasons.
This comes on a day when the carrier also scrapped all 235 flights scheduled to depart from Delhi, marking one of the largest single-day disruptions in recent years.
Across major airports, including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, more than 600 flights were cancelled today alone, adding to the over 550 cancellations reported on Thursday.
At Chennai Airport, scenes of chaos unfolded through the morning. Despite holding valid boarding passes, passengers were stopped from entering the terminal after being informed at the gate that their flights had been cancelled or delayed.
Many said they had been waiting in a long queue outside the IndiGo ticketing counter since early morning.
Some passengers were seen arguing with staff over refunds, while others complained of receiving no updates about the status of their flights.
The airline’s website continued to show several flights as “on schedule”, passengers said, but they were denied entry once they arrived at the airport. The lack of timely communication remained the biggest grievance.
Speaking to India Today, a couple whose 11.40 am flight was rescheduled to 6.30 pm, said they found out only by looking at display boards.
“Website is not getting updated. No communication from IndiGo. I want to go to Ahmedabad for a temple festival. When you know there’s a problem for 2-3 days, why didn’t Indigo update us?” he asked.
An 80-year-old passenger headed to Delhi said he had been trying unsuccessfully to reach IndiGo’s customer care.
“Nothing on the website. This is crazy. It is impossible to get through to them. They either don’t pick up or it’s engaged. My DigiYatra scanner is not getting accepted,” he said.
For younger travellers, the chaos brought its own challenges. An eleven-year-old boy, flying to Delhi at 1 pm, said security refused to let him in even to use the washroom.
“They are asking me to go to T2 for washroom. I am here with my parents,” he said.
A man who arrived in Chennai for a visa interview, said his 12.55 pm flight showed no cancellation online, but he was stopped at the gate.
“No intimation from IndiGo. Website not updated. No one answers the toll-free number. The front desk is delaying refunds. No food or water was provided last night. Thankfully we didn’t bring our daughter, the whole night would have been a debacle for her,” he said.
IndiGo, the country’s largest carrier, has attributed the massive disruption to a shortage of pilots, compounded by winter-schedule pressures. The airline has sought partial relaxations in the newly introduced Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, saying full implementation will only be feasible by February 2026.
IndiGo’s operational crisis deepened on Friday as the airline cancelled all departing flights from Chennai Airport until 6 pm.
Chennai Airport also issued an advisory saying IndiGo had cancelled all departures to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad till 6 pm, citing operational reasons.
This comes on a day when the carrier also scrapped all 235 flights scheduled to depart from Delhi, marking one of the largest single-day disruptions in recent years.
Across major airports, including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, more than 600 flights were cancelled today alone, adding to the over 550 cancellations reported on Thursday.
At Chennai Airport, scenes of chaos unfolded through the morning. Despite holding valid boarding passes, passengers were stopped from entering the terminal after being informed at the gate that their flights had been cancelled or delayed.
Many said they had been waiting in a long queue outside the IndiGo ticketing counter since early morning.
Some passengers were seen arguing with staff over refunds, while others complained of receiving no updates about the status of their flights.
The airline’s website continued to show several flights as “on schedule”, passengers said, but they were denied entry once they arrived at the airport. The lack of timely communication remained the biggest grievance.
Speaking to India Today, a couple whose 11.40 am flight was rescheduled to 6.30 pm, said they found out only by looking at display boards.
“Website is not getting updated. No communication from IndiGo. I want to go to Ahmedabad for a temple festival. When you know there’s a problem for 2-3 days, why didn’t Indigo update us?” he asked.
An 80-year-old passenger headed to Delhi said he had been trying unsuccessfully to reach IndiGo’s customer care.
“Nothing on the website. This is crazy. It is impossible to get through to them. They either don’t pick up or it’s engaged. My DigiYatra scanner is not getting accepted,” he said.
For younger travellers, the chaos brought its own challenges. An eleven-year-old boy, flying to Delhi at 1 pm, said security refused to let him in even to use the washroom.
“They are asking me to go to T2 for washroom. I am here with my parents,” he said.
A man who arrived in Chennai for a visa interview, said his 12.55 pm flight showed no cancellation online, but he was stopped at the gate.
“No intimation from IndiGo. Website not updated. No one answers the toll-free number. The front desk is delaying refunds. No food or water was provided last night. Thankfully we didn’t bring our daughter, the whole night would have been a debacle for her,” he said.
IndiGo, the country’s largest carrier, has attributed the massive disruption to a shortage of pilots, compounded by winter-schedule pressures. The airline has sought partial relaxations in the newly introduced Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, saying full implementation will only be feasible by February 2026.