IndiGo in Turbulence: New Crew Rest Norms Trigger Airport Chaos
Indigo flight cancellation causes mess at airport. (Image X.com)
From Delhi to Hyderabad, angry passengers, zero communication and mass cancellations hit IndiGo as aviation regulator’s new rest rules collide with operational preparedness.
By KUMAR VIKRAM
New Delhi, December 4, 2025 —India’s largest airline IndiGo is facing mounting passenger fury and backlash after mass flight cancellations and prolonged delays crippled operations across major airports, with over 321 flights cancelled in a single day from three key hubs, according to reports cited by CNBC.
The disruption, widely attributed to the implementation of new crew rest norms mandated by the aviation regulator, has triggered scenes of chaos at airports in Delhi, Hyderabad and Lucknow, leaving thousands of passengers stranded with little to no official communication.
Arun Prabhudesai, a prominent tech entrepreneur, described the on-ground situation as “a mess,” posting that flights were being cancelled “one after another,” with “chaos at the gates, passengers arguing with crew, and zero communication.”
He added that his own flight had been delayed for over two hours without clarity and warned travellers not to come to the airport unless unavoidable.
Political reactions were equally sharp. The Indian Youth Congress alleged that India’s air services were “completely paralysed,” claiming that over 100 flights are being cancelled daily and that IndiGo alone cancelled 1,200 flights in November.
Passenger anger spilled onto the tarmac at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow, where flyers raised slogans against IndiGo amid repeated delays and sudden cancellations, according to eyewitness accounts shared on social media.
At Hyderabad’s Hyderabad Airport, Asianet News reported crowding, confusion and long waiting hours on December 4, with passengers citing rising punctuality issues and an absence of timely updates. Pawan Yadav, who witnessed the disruption, said, “This firefighting could have been avoided with proactive communication.”
Sacchidanand Shukla, a frequent flyer, accused the airline of “complete apathy and insensitivity towards travellers,” calling IndiGo’s conduct a “shocking display of arrogance, lack of professionalism and disregard of regulatory notifications” over the past few days.
The Airline Pilots’ Association of India also entered the debate. Its president Capt. Sam Thomas told PTI that the current wave of cancellations is “artificially created by airlines to put pressure on” the DGCA over the enforcement of stricter duty and rest requirements.
Observers note that the new norms have reduced permissible night landings, tightened weekly rest hours, lowered cumulative duty caps and made fatigue risk management systems mandatory—changes intended to improve safety but now exposing the fragile staffing models of airlines operating at near-maximum utilisation.
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