IndiGo Flight Delays Trigger Chaos at Delhi Airport Amid Repeated Disruptions

New Delhi, Jan 2026 : Passengers at Indira Gandhi International Airport created a commotion on Saturday after their IndiGo flight to Purnea was delayed, following disruptions a day earlier, leading to anger and frustration among travellers.

According to reports, IndiGo flight 6E 9076, scheduled to operate from Delhi to Purnea, was delayed on Saturday after having been cancelled on Friday, forcing passengers to rearrange their travel plans. The repeated disruption sparked furious scenes at the boarding counter, with several passengers protesting the delay in departure.

Passengers said the Friday cancellation had already caused inconvenience, and the Saturday delay compounded their frustration. While the airline initially cited adverse weather conditions as the reason for the delay, some passengers alleged that staff later informed them there was no pilot available to operate the flight.

Earlier in the day, IndiGo had issued advisories warning passengers of possible delays and cancellations due to reduced visibility and fog at multiple airports.

The incident follows a series of operational challenges faced by IndiGo over the past month. On December 29, 2024, the airline cancelled 118 flights across its network, attributing six of the cancellations to operational constraints and the remaining to adverse weather conditions at various airports.

IndiGo has struggled with large-scale disruptions since early December, when the airline cancelled thousands of flights, including around 1,600 in a single day, after court-mandated stricter duty and rest period norms for pilots came into effect. These cancellations stranded lakhs of passengers nationwide.

The onset of the fog season on December 10 further exacerbated flight disruptions. On December 25, IndiGo cancelled 67 flights citing weather issues, and on Saturday alone, another 57 flights were cancelled from multiple airports due to poor visibility.

The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has declared December 10 to February 10 as the official fog window for winter, a period when flight operations are often affected by low visibility.

Passengers expressed disappointment over the lack of clarity and communication regarding flight schedules, highlighting the challenges airlines face in balancing operational safety with service reliability. IndiGo has urged passengers to check real-time flight updates and make necessary travel adjustments during this period.

The repeated cancellations and delays underscore the combined impact of regulatory changes, pilot duty norms, and seasonal weather conditions on flight operations, leaving many travellers seeking alternative arrangements during the winter fog season.