IndiGo cancellations, flight delays enter 5th day, 116 extra coaches deployed in trains

Air passengers travelling with IndiGo continued to face major disruptions on Saturday, as the cancellation and delay of all domestic flights departing from Delhi entered the fifth consecutive day. The situation has affected tens of thousands of travellers, many of whom are struggling with prolonged uncertainty, escalating expenses, and a lack of clear communication.

One passenger said, "I had a programme to attend in Agartala. I was supposed to travel yesterday, but my flight was cancelled, so I booked a new ticket for today. Everything was arranged, and at the entry gate, CISF personnel told me the flight would operate. But when I reached the check-in counter, I was informed that the flight had been cancelled again. They told me they cannot provide any ticket before December 8. I asked them to at least refund whatever amount is due.”

Another passenger recounted a more distressing experience. "I have been at the airport for four days. They keep rescheduling my flight. When I first arrived to drop my luggage, I found out that the flight was cancelled without any message or email. They rescheduled it for the next day, which was also cancelled. Then they rescheduled it for this morning, and that too was cancelled. I am a neuro patient. I felt dizzy here and collapsed. They admitted me to Medanta. The staff told me yesterday that I would get a refund since my flight was cancelled, but this morning they called and told me to board the flight instead. They are not giving me any clear solution or refund.”

On Friday, IndiGo issued an apology for the large-scale disruptions and assured passengers that refunds would be processed for all cancelled flights.

The chaos has largely been attributed to a sudden shortage of pilots, reportedly caused by planning lapses. Aviation authorities are closely monitoring the situation as the airline struggles to stabilise operations. IndiGo, which operates around 2,300 flights daily with a fleet of more than 400 aircraft, has seen its punctuality drop sharply amid the ongoing operational breakdown - a situation expected to take several more days to improve.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has formed a high-level, four-member committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the events leading to the disruptions and to assess the airline’s operational preparedness.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Saturday that the immediate priority for the government is to bring back normalcy and provide all the support to the passengers.

"...We have formed a committee which will enquire into all this so that they can establish where things went wrong and who did it wrong. We are going to take necessary action on that also," Naidu added.

meanwhile, keeping the widespread flight cancellations in mind amid IndiGo fiasco, a total of 37 trains have been augmented with 116 additional coaches, operating over 114 augmented trips across the country, according to Indian Railways. Southern Railway (SR) has carried out the highest number of augmentations, enhancing capacity in 18 trains.

Additional Chair Car and Sleeper Class coaches have been deployed on high-demand routes. These augmentations, implemented from December 6 onward, substantially expand accommodation capacity in the southern region, according to the government.

"Northern Railway (NR) follows with augmentations on eight trains, adding 3AC and Chair Car coaches. These measures implemented today onwards enhance availability on heavily travelled northern corridors," it added.

Western Railway (WR) has augmented four high-demand trains by adding 3AC and 2AC coaches. The augmentations, effective from December 6, cater to strong passenger movement from western regions to the national capital. East Central Railway (ECR) has strengthened the Rajendra Nagar-New Delhi (12309) service with additional 2AC coaches over five trips between 6-10 December 2025, providing enhanced capacity on this important Bihar-Delhi sector.

Moreover, East Coast Railway (ECOR) has augmented the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi services (Trains 20817/20811/20823) by adding 2AC coaches across five trips, improving connectivity between Odisha and the capital. Eastern Railway (ER) has implemented augmentations in three key trains, adding Sleeper Class coaches over six trips on 7-8 December 2025, meeting increased regional and inter-state travel demand in the east.

Also, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has augmented two important trains with 3AC and Sleeper coaches over eight trips each from 6-13 December 2025, ensuring uninterrupted capacity for travellers in the Northeast. Along with these enhancements, Indian Railways is also operating four special train services to further support passengers. The Gorakhpur - Anand Vihar Terminal - Gorakhpur Special (05591/05592) will operate four trips between 07 and 09 December 2025.

The New Delhi - Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan - New Delhi Reserved Vande Bharat Special (02439/02440) will run on December 6, providing fast and comfortable connectivity to the Jammu region. In the western sector, the New Delhi-Mumbai Central-New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special (04002/04001) will operate on December 6 and 7.

Additionally, the Hazrat Nizamuddin-Thiruvananthapuram Central Reserved Superfast Special (04080) will run one-way on December 6.

Indo-Asian News Service