In this video, Senior Assistant Editor S Lalitha unravels the IndiGo flight chaos gripping India since December 3, 2025. With over 3,000 cancellations in five days, millions of passengers face stranding amid holiday season.
Lalitha highlights the root cause: stricter DGCA Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules, mandating 48-hour weekly pilot rest and curbing night flights, which IndiGo failed to roster for adequately, triggering a crew shortage crisis.Lalitha details the fallout, from chaotic scenes at Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport—where all IndiGo departures halted Friday—to Bengaluru's 124 cancellations and Mumbai's 109 on Saturday. Stranded travelers chant protests, luggage piles up, and fares surge 200% on rival airlines. The government intervenes with temporary exemptions for IndiGo, fare caps on domestic routes, and 89 special trains to aid rerouting, while DGCA forms a probe committee.
Wrapping up, Lalitha notes IndiGo's CEO apology and pledge for normalcy by December 15, with full recovery by February 2026. She urges reforms for aviation resilience, emphasizing passenger rights and refunds due by December 7.