IndiGo flight chaos: Govt launches probe after 1000+ cancellations, passengers stranded nationwide

New Delhi (India) December 5: The Indian government has announced a major investigation into the system failure of Indigo Airlines, as thousands of passengers have been left stranded due to multiple flight cancellations on December 5, 2025. As of Friday, Indigo Airlines cancelled over 400 flights due to pilot roster issues causing a breakdown in operations.

Due to the mass cancellations on Friday, many passengers were forced to wait at airports for an extended period (more than 12 hours at times), while others protested or reported that their bags had been lost.

Union Civil Aviation Minister forms high-level committee for investigation

Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, has formed a high-level committee in order to determine why Indigo Airlines cancelled flights and who was responsible. He has stated that strict action will be taken and the issue will not be overlooked. Currently, all efforts are being made to reduce backlogs at airports; therefore, priority was given to children, mothers, senior citizens, and the disabled.

From Saturday, expected that operations will be stabilised and that heavy congestion or long waits at airports will not continue.

The minister has issued additional instructions and guidance to all airlines for restoring their normal services as quickly as possible and to minimise passenger inconvenience. Therefore, due to the implementation of these directives, Indigo Airlines flight schedules are expected to stabilize by tomorrow and return to normal within three days.

CEO Pieter Elbers vows operational restoration in 10 days amid heavy disruption

The primary issue causing mass cancellations for the largest carrier in India was due to pilot scheduling difficulties, and it became evident today that after three consecutive days of disruptions, CEO Pieter Elbers has publicly acknowledged the operational breakdown and has stated that normal operations will likely resume in the next 10 days.

Mr. Elbers made these comments immediately after the government was quoted as saying that services would return to normal Saturday, 7 December 2025, and that services would be fully restored by Monday, 9 December 2025. According to Mr. Elbers, over 1,000 flights were cancelled today as a result of a full-scale restoration of IndiGo's operational systems, and he further advised passengers not to travel to the airport for cancelled flights.

Opposition demands government accountability, condemns airline crisis

According to Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, the ongoing delays to flights operated by IndiGo gives lawmakers an opportunity to attack the government for its gross neglect of airline operations. Mr. Brittas stated that the government must take responsibility for the chaos that has occurred with regards to the airline and that it will directly affect travelers and the proceedings of Parliament.

He said, "This shows how the government manages the country. They have consciously ushered in a duopoly and a cartel, not permitting any other airline. They introduced directions that have not been properly implemented. This typically makes people understand how they deal with critical situations. The Parliament session will also be affected, as many MPs coming from outside are unable to attend. We want the minister to make a suo motu statement addressing Parliament and the nation".