IndiGo cancels Delhi departures till midnight: Amit Shah reviews situation, MP pushes for passenger compensation—Key updates

On Friday, December 5, IndiGo's statewide operational failure caused widespread cancellations, protracted delays, and airport congestion, continuing India's biggest airline disruption in recent years. With passenger frustration mounting across major cities, Home Minister Amit Shah sought an update on the situation, while a Delhi MP formally urged the Civil Aviation Minister to ensure compensation for affected flyers. The crisis - linked to severe crew shortages, revised duty-time limits and seasonal weather pressure has pushed India’s largest airline into an unprecedented system reset, grounding hundreds of flights and throwing the travel network into chaos.

Home Minister seeks update as disruption widens

Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the developing situation and spoke to Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Friday morning. The Home Minister is understood to have sought details on flight readiness, passenger handling and the immediate steps being taken to stabilise the airline’s operations.

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Officials said the Ministry of Civil Aviation is monitoring the crisis “hour by hour”, with special control rooms set up to track cancellations, fares and passenger assistance across key airports.

MP flags ‘severe hardship’, demands compensation

Amid rising public anger, Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal wrote a sharply worded letter to the Civil Aviation Minister, calling the situation “extremely distressing” and seeking urgent intervention.

In his letter, Khandelwal said thousands of passengers - including traders, students, professionals and medical travellers - had faced “serious mental and physical agony” due to abrupt cancellations, missed connections, poor communication and long waits inside terminals.

He urged the Minister to:

• Order a thorough inquiry into the disruption,
• Mandate compensation for financial losses and emotional distress, and
• Tighten regulatory oversight to prevent such widespread failures in future.

IndiGo issues public apology, cancels full-day departures from Delhi

Facing mounting criticism, IndiGo issued a detailed public apology, acknowledging the “serious operational crisis” and confirming that all domestic departures from Delhi Airport were cancelled till midnight on Friday.

The airline promised automatic refunds, fee waivers for all cancellations and rescheduling between 5–15 December, hotel support for stranded travellers, and expanded contact-centre capacity. IndiGo said it expected “incremental progress” from Saturday as its system reboot begins, but acknowledged that the disruptions would not resolve immediately.

DGCA appeals for cooperation; airlines brace for more delays

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) urged pilots and crew associations to cooperate fully, warning that the industry is entering a volatile period marked by fog season, peak travel demand and reduced operational buffers.

Officials said more than 500 IndiGo flights were disrupted on Thursday, with similar or worse numbers expected through the weekend.
The regulator is also monitoring airfares amid concerns that reduced capacity may push prices up on major routes.

Chennai, other airports feel the ripple effect

The chaos was not restricted to Delhi alone. Chennai Airport reported multiple cancellations, issuing advisories to hold boarding-gate movement as hundreds of passengers remained stuck inside the terminal. Services to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and other cities were hit. Airport teams across metros have been instructed to provide water, assistance and priority care for elderly travellers as passenger complaints continue to surge.

Airline seeks temporary relaxations to restore stability

IndiGo has asked DGCA for temporary exemptions from select Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms for its A320 fleet until 10 February 2026, arguing that the adjustment is necessary to stabilise crew rosters.

The airline has also announced that flight frequency will be reduced from 8 December to ease pressure on operations. According to officials, normal schedules are expected to return only by the second week of February.