A severe operational breakdown at IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has triggered nationwide travel chaos, derailing major weddings, corporate events, fashion shows, and entertainment productions during the busiest season of the year. With extensive cancellations, long delays, and mounting confusion at airports, the situation has left both passengers and the events industry scrambling for alternatives as carefully crafted schedules collapse.

The crisis intensified sharply on Friday, when IndiGo cancelled more than 550 domestic and international flights in a single day. In an unprecedented move, the airline halted all departures from Delhi Airport until midnight, citing network-wide disruptions. The fallout has been immediate and far-reaching, with thousands stranded, airport terminals overwhelmed, and baggage piling up in chaotic heaps at major travel hubs.

At the heart of the turmoil lies a severe staffing crunch brought on by new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules that tightened pilots’ rest requirements. Industry experts say IndiGo failed to adjust its winter flight rosters accordingly. The airline initially attributed its disruptions to minor tech issues, fog, and seasonal congestion, but insiders now point to pilot shortages compounded by strict enforcement of duty-rest norms. With pilots unavailable and no adequate replacements ready, the cascading cancellations crippled the airline’s operations by midweek.

For India’s event industry—currently at its annual peak with high-profile weddings, festivals, and corporate galas—the timing could not have been worse. Event planners, performers, designers, support teams, and technical staff rely heavily on tight travel schedules, leaving little room for delays. The IndiGo meltdown has left this ecosystem reeling.

Wedding planner Rasmeen Sawhney of Aroosi Events described her ordeal while attempting to reach Jodhpur for a client’s function. “The flight was at 10:30 am but there was no message from the airline about the delay,” she recounted. “We were stuck inside the airport bus for almost two hours without being allowed to step off, not even to use the washroom. We finally took off at 4:30, and my entire workday was lost.”

Fashion show director Anu Ahuja painted an even more chaotic picture from Bengaluru Airport. “Thousands of bags were lying unattended near the counters. There were almost 50 counters but just one staff member. They kept saying the flight was on time but were not showing delays on the display boards. I kept walking aimlessly at the airport, unable to get any information. People were screaming and shouting,” she said, describing the meltdown that has disrupted several major fashion events.

Individual travellers, too, have been left stranded with little support. Khyati Vora, whose Nagpur–Mumbai flight was cancelled without prior notice, found herself in an unfamiliar city without hotel assistance. “We travelled over three hours to get to the airport. Only then did they tell us the flight was cancelled. When we asked for compensation, they denied it. We’re two girls travelling alone—where are we supposed to stay now?” she said.

The crisis has spared no one—not even diplomats. Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, shared his frustration on social media, writing, “I joined the tens of thousands of passengers stranded by #IndiGo. My flight to Deoghar has been cancelled. My sincere apologies to my young staff waiting for me to attend his wedding. Lost for words.”

The entertainment industry, already operating on tight timelines, has been thrown into complete disarray. Singer Rahul Vaidya lamented his struggle to reach Kolkata for a performance, posting on social media: “One of the worst days to fly! We have a show tonight and still don’t know how to get there.” He later shared a photo of multiple Air India tickets costing ₹4.2 lakh—an extraordinary amount for a domestic journey—calling it the most expensive travel of his career.

Television actor Nia Sharma described her chaotic experience buying a ₹54,000 ticket for a domestic flight—a personal record. She expressed concern over her team members who were forced to take three separate flights to the same destination, affecting costume, makeup, and coordination. “What will I do without hair, makeup, and my outfit?” she wrote, encapsulating the stress felt across the industry.

What Triggered the Crisis?

IndiGo, which operates over 2,000 flights a day, has been grappling with network disruptions for four consecutive days. The immediate cause appears to be a shortage of pilots due to new FDTL regulations that limit flying hours and mandate longer rest periods. The stricter enforcement coincided with the airline’s seasonal ramp-up of winter flights—resulting in a staffing mismatch that brought operations to a grinding halt.

Initially, IndiGo attributed the delays to winter fog, congestion, and backend issues. But as cancellations surged, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) intervened. On Friday, the regulator withdrew the FDTL rule that prevented airlines from substituting leave for weekly rest—providing IndiGo temporary relief to deploy pilots more flexibly.

In a statement, the airline said it needs time until February 10 to stabilise operations. It also announced automatic refunds for all cancelled flights and a full waiver on cancellations or rescheduling requests for bookings between December 5 and 15.

Despite these measures, the damage has already rippled across industries, especially the event and travel sectors that depend heavily on punctual air transport. With peak wedding season ongoing, and year-end festivities underway, the disruptions have thrown thousands of plans into uncertainty.

As the airline works to restore normalcy, travellers, event professionals, and businesses across India hope for a swift resolution to a crisis that has exposed the fragility of aviation-dependent industries during their busiest period of the year.