NEW DELHI — IndiGo cancelled a total of 405 domestic flights as the significant crisis affecting the airline reached its fifth day on Saturday. However, Indian Railways stepped in to help the harassed passengers by adding extra coaches to its trains to accommodate the rush of people.
With a daily operation of 2,300 flights and a fleet exceeding 400 aircraft, IndiGo’s punctuality has drastically declined due to ongoing operational issues that are likely to persist for several more days.
The root of the current crisis primarily lies in an unexpected shortage of pilots due to planning shortcomings, and authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
Scenes of total disarray have occurred at airports nationwide as IndiGo’s domestic passengers voiced their frustration over delays and cancellations of their flights.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mridul Mohol stated that the government is working with full urgency to restore normalcy.
The airline cancelled a total of 405 domestic flights amid the ongoing crisis, primarily due to an unexpected pilot shortage caused by planning shortcomings.
Taking to social media platform X, Mohol informed about necessary actions being undertaken as the “government is working with full urgency to restore normalcy” as thousands of passengers faced a harrowing time at airports across the country.
“The Central Government has taken very serious note of the inconvenience caused to passengers due to the disruption in Indigo’s services. The FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) orders of the DGCA have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect. All necessary actions are being undertaken without compromising air safety and with the foremost priority of safeguarding passengers’ interests,” the MoS said.
“A 24×7 control room has also been established in the Ministry for real-time monitoring. The Government of India has decided to institute a high-level inquiry into the disruption,” he added.
The inquiry will examine what went wrong at the airline, determine accountability wherever required for appropriate actions, and recommend measures to prevent similar disruptions in the future — ensuring that passengers do not face such hardships again.
Indian Railways deploy 116 additional coaches across 37 premium trains
Amid a sharp rise in passenger demand following widespread IndiGo flight cancellations, the Indian Railways has stepped in and deployed 116 additional coaches across 37 premium trains, covering 114 enhanced trips nationwide.
The Railway Ministry said in a press statement that Southern Railway recorded the highest number of augmentations, increasing capacity in 18 trains.
“Additional Chair Car and Sleeper Class coaches have been deployed on high-demand routes. These augmentations, implemented from 6 December 2025 onward, substantially expand accommodation capacity in the southern region,” the ministry said.
“Northern Railway (NR) follows with augmentations on eight trains, adding 3AC and Chair Car coaches. These measures implemented today onwards enhance availability on heavily travelled northern corridors,” it further added.
According to the ministry, Western Railway has strengthened four high-demand trains with the addition of 3AC and 2AC coaches, effective from December 6, to accommodate heavy passenger movement from western states to the national Capital.
Officials also confirmed that East Central Railway has increased capacity on the Rajendra Nagar–New Delhi (12309) service by adding 2AC coaches over five trips scheduled between December 6 and 10, improving connectivity on the crucial Bihar–Delhi route.
East Coast Railway has also augmented the Bhubaneswar–New Delhi services (Trains 20817/20811/20823) by adding 2AC coaches across five trips, enhancing travel options between Odisha and the Capital.
Speaking to IANS, Indian Railway Board Executive Director of Information and Publicity (EDIP) Dilip Kumar said, “Considering the rush of passengers, Indian Railways has decided to add extra coaches to several trains. In addition, plans have been made to operate several special trains. So far, 116 extra coaches are planned to be added to 37 trains, and work is underway accordingly.”
Along with these augmentations, four special train services have been introduced to further assist travellers. The Gorakhpur–Anand Vihar Terminal–Gorakhpur Special (05591/05592) will operate four trips between December 7 and 9.
The New Delhi–Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan–New Delhi Reserved Vande Bharat Special (02439/02440) will run on December 6, offering fast connectivity to the Jammu region.
To accommodate high demand towards the western sector, the New Delhi–Mumbai Central–New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special (04002/04001) will operate on December 6 and 7.
Additionally, the Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Central Reserved Superfast Special (04080) will run one way on December 6, providing long-distance connectivity to the south. — IANS
