Some had to wait for longer durations at airport counters while seeking alternate bookings or refunds.
IndiGo Cancels 70 Flights: Tech Glitches, Airport Congestion and New Crew Duty Rules Disrupt Travel Across India
On Wednesday, IndiGo, India’s largest domestic airline, cancelled at least 70 flights. The cancellations affected flights from major hubs, including Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Airline and aviation-industry officials said that the main reasons for cancellations were technical issues, airport congestion and operational requirements. The disruptions coincided with the recent implementation (from November 1) of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms for crew working hours, and the airline admitted that a crew shortage under these tighter duty-time limits was among the main factors behind the mass cancellations.
Passengers at several airports faced confusion and inconvenience, as many received updates of cancellations at the last minute. Some had to wait for longer durations at airport counters while seeking alternate bookings or refunds; others struggled to get timely updates about their flight status.
Aviation experts described the incident as symptomatic of deeper stress within India’s air-travel infrastructure. They suggested that the combination of crew-rostering constraints, high demand, congested airports and fragile technical systems can make such disruptions more frequent – particularly during peak travel times.
According to IndiGo Representatives, the airline was working to “normalise operations at the earliest,” and as per policy, the affected passengers would be offered rebooking or refund options. Many travellers still expressed dissatisfaction over slow response times at airport counters and limited clarity on when services would resume.
The cancellations add to a series of recent technical glitches and operational snags, including earlier instances where check-in system failures reportedly led to long queues and delays at several airports. Such repeated breakdowns have raised questions about the resilience of the aviation sector’s technology backbone, especially at a time when air-traffic volume is rising rapidly.
The disruptions are a reminder for travellers to regularly check flight-status updates, particularly during busy travel periods. Industry experts advise arriving earlier than usual at airports, keeping digital boarding passes handy, and staying alert for last-minute notifications from airlines.
As IndiGo carries a majority share of India’s domestic air travellers, these cancellations show how even a single day of disruptions at major hubs can affect the national network, highlighting the urgent need for reliable systems, robust crew planning and stronger contingency measures.
