National Times Bureau :- India’s largest airline, IndiGo, continued to face a severe operational crisis on Saturday, with significant disruption reported at both Chandigarh and Amritsar airports. Ongoing technical issues and a shortage of operational staff led to multiple flight delays extending for hours, while several flights were cancelled without prior notice. The chaos caused widespread inconvenience, leaving passengers frustrated and desperate.
Among the most distressing cases was that of Shruti, a woman who had travelled from Kolkata to Chandigarh for her mother’s funeral. Her return flight, scheduled for Friday night, was abruptly cancelled upon her arrival at the airport. Holding back tears, she said her injured husband was alone at home with no caregiver. Train seats were unavailable, and taxi drivers demanded up to ₹65,000 for a one-way journey to Kolkata — far beyond her capacity. “A two-and-a-half-hour flight has turned into a journey of two to three days,” she said helplessly.
The crisis also impacted athletes travelling for the National Games. A roller skating team headed to Visakhapatnam remained stranded at the airport, concerned about missing their event.
Several passengers, including Parmjeet Kaur—whose flight was rescheduled from 12:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.—criticised the airline for providing no food, water, or accommodation despite overnight delays.
On Friday alone, 19 flights were cancelled across the two airports, and Saturday showed little improvement. As disruptions grow, passenger anger continues to rise, raising questions about IndiGo’s preparedness and management during large-scale operational failures.
