IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights on Friday (December 5, 2025) and will axe hundreds more on Saturday (December 6, 2025), crippling air travel across India and sending airfares skyrocketing, which prompted the government to exempt the country’s largest airline from meeting new rules until February 10.

The airline suspended all departures from the Delhi airport for the entire day to reboot its systems and stop cascading delays. It cancelled all its domestic flights from Chennai airport and all flights from Bengaluru to Delhi and Mumbai for the entire day.

“Cancellations were made today to align our aircraft and crew to be where they need to be to start tomorrow morning afresh. Measures of the last few days have regrettably proven to be not enough. We have decided today for a reboot of all our systems and schedules,” IndiGo’s chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers said in a recorded video message. He added that cancellations on Saturday (December 5, 2025) were expected to be “below 1,000”.

The size and scale of IndiGo’s operations meant normalcy is expected only between December 10 and 15, according to the CEO. The airline operates a total of 2,200 flights every day and accounts for six out of every 10 passengers who travel by air.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted IndiGo exemptions from night duty restrictions, including the cap on two landings, until February 10. The airline had admitted to the government that it had underestimated the increased crew requirements, despite the court order issued in April 2025 on new duty hours, and acknowledged “planning gaps” in its operations for the rules that came into effect on November 1.

“This exemption has been granted solely to facilitate operational stabilisation and in no way amounts to dilution of safety requirements,” a press statement issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation said. During this period, the DGCA will review steps taken by IndiGo to address the situation, including hiring of adequate crew to comply with the revised norms.

A four-member committee has also been constituted to inquire into the reasons for the massive disruption at IndiGo.

Airfares surge

As airfares on flights from other airlines skyrocketed with IndiGo passengers trying to make alternative arrangements, SpiceJet added seven flights on Friday (December 5) to destinations like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, and 17 flights on Saturday (December 6).

The Northern Railway decided to increase 3AC (air-conditioned 3-tier) and chair car coaches in four premium trains to allow passengers to make alternative arrangements. These trains included Jammu Rajdhani Express, Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express, Chandigarh Shatabdi Express, and Amritsar Shatabdi Express.

Minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu also held a meeting with various pilot bodies, including Airline Pilots’ Association India and Federation of Indian Pilots, and appealed to them to ensure cooperation from pilots to quell brewing unrest over the temporary rollback of rules granted to IndiGo.

Separately, a public appeal from the DGCA requested “full co-operation of all pilots”, adding that the regulator reposed deep respect for the essential role played by pilots.

A slew of other measures were taken to support IndiGo, such as the DGCA permitting IndiGo to utilise 12 of its Flight Operator Inspectors (FoIs) on deputation for flight duties temporarily. The airline has also received support in enhancing pilot training by extending examiner validity, allowing medically unfit trainers to conduct simulator sessions, and enabling IndiGo to engage additional training organisations.