Wall-to-wall queues, no flights: How IndiGo crisis sent nationwide airports into meltdown | Photos

INdia’s busiest airports ar witnessing scenes of growing topsy-turvydom as indigo plant’s web continues to unpick, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and tempers flaring.For the fourth straight day, long queues, repeated cancellations and confusion at airline counters have turned routine travel into an ordeal.More than 1,000 IndiGo flights have been cancelled since Tuesday, with major hubs like Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad hit hardest. Travellers say they are being left in limbo for hours, often without clear information, food or accommodation. Follow IndiGo flight status LIVE updatesIn Delhi, all IndiGo departures were halted until midnight (23:59), while in Chennai, every departure remained cancelled until 6 pm. Bengaluru reported 52 incoming and 50 outgoing cancellations, and Hyderabad saw 92 IndiGo flights scrapped through the day.Meanwhile, airlines’ on-time performance crashed to 8.5% on Thursday, an unprecedented low for a carrier that markets punctuality as its core brand. In late afternoon trade, IndiGo shares dropped over 3% to ₹5,417.90 apiece on the BSE.Passengers left stranded and furiousFor thousands of fliers, the crisis has been deeply personal and exhausting. “They kept saying ‘just two more hours’ for 12 hours straight. No hotel, no food, nothing,” a stranded passenger in Hyderabad told news agency ANI.At Bengaluru, a traveller reported spending the entire night in the terminal before the flight was cancelled at dawn.A passenger in Goa told ANI they were offered a flight the next day, “but it is not confirmed whether that flight will even depart.”Another traveller described the chaos at Ahmedabad: “We have been stranded here for almost 10–12 hours now… We received neither water nor food. It is a chaotic situation here,” reported the news agency.Also Read | Will IndiGo passengers get full refund amid mass cancellation? What airlines' rules sayPassengers also say they were not informed of cancellations in advance, leaving them stuck in queues for hours as fares on other airlines doubled.Why Indigo flights are cancelledIndiGo insists it is grappling with a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges, pointing to tech glitches, winter congestion and weather.But aviation officials and industry experts say one factor towered above all others: the rollout of India’s revamped Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), new rules meant to curb pilot fatigue.These norms mandate:48 hours of weekly rest for pilots (up from 36)A longer night duty window from 00:00–06:00Just two night landings per pilot per weekA maximum of 8 flying hours during night opsWhat this meant on the ground: a large section of IndiGo’s crew went into compulsory rest just as the airline expanded its winter schedule on October 26, stretching the roster thin.The crunch intensified when an Airbus A320 software advisory over the weekend sparked delays past midnight, pushing flights beyond allowable duty hours. That triggered a cascade of cancellations.