InterGlobe Aviation Shares Fall as IndiGo Cancels Over 1,000 Flights Across India

5 Dec 2025 , 01:32 PM

InterGlobe Aviation’s shares slipped 1.40% on December 5 as IndiGo struggled through another day of widespread flight disruptions. Over the past several days, the number of cancelled flights has climbed beyond 1,000, creating long queues, mounting frustration, and operational chaos at several major airports.

The situation worsened after Delhi airport announced that IndiGo would not operate any domestic departures from the capital until midnight. Delhi is one of the airline’s busiest hubs. It has close to 235 departures on a normal day, and shutting down operations there effectively crippled IndiGo’s schedule nationwide. Chennai faced a similar situation, with the airline cancelling all departures from the city until 6 pm on Friday. This move forced hundreds of passengers to rebook or wait indefinitely for updates.

The disruption has had an outsized impact because IndiGo accounts for nearly 60 percent of India’s domestic aviation market. Even a short interruption in such a large network tends to snowball, but this week the effect has been far more severe, with passengers reporting delays, long lines at check-in counters, and packed customer service desks at major airports.

A shortage of crew, particularly pilots, appears to be at the heart of the crisis. The airline has been attempting to adjust to the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation norms introduced last month, which mandate longer rest periods and more balanced rosters. IndiGo has been trying to realign its network around the new rules, but the process has proved more complicated than expected, resulting in large gaps in crew availability.

Following a surge in cancellations, IndiGo issued a public apology, acknowledging that its operations had been “significantly disrupted” for two days. The airline said a mix of operational setbacks had compounded the situation, citing minor technology issues, winter schedule adjustments, bad weather, heavy congestion in the aviation system, and the crew rostering requirements linked to the updated duty-time rules. According to the spokesperson, these factors converged in a way the airline had not anticipated.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has stepped in and is reviewing the matter. The regulator has asked IndiGo to submit a detailed report explaining the reasons behind the disruptions and outline immediate steps to stabilise operations. IndiGo has been called to the DGCA headquarters to present the facts and share its plan to reduce further cancellations and minimise inconvenience for passengers in the coming days.

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