National Desk
4-5 December
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
Journalist & Research Analysis
India’s largest airline faced a massive operational breakdown as more than 300 domestic and international flights were cancelled across major airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and others. The sudden cancellations left hundreds of passengers stranded and caused widespread frustration. Along with cancelled flights, a large number of services were delayed due to crew shortages and sudden changes in flight schedules, creating severe disruption at airports nationwide.
Sources revealed that at Delhi airport alone around 95 flights were cancelled, followed by 85 in Mumbai, 70 in Hyderabad and nearly 50 in Bengaluru. Several other airports also reported cancellations. Based on data from six major airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad — the airline’s on-time performance dropped sharply from 35 percent to just 18.4 percent in a single day, showing the scale of the crisis.
Aviation authorities discussed the situation with airline officials to understand the cause of the breakdown and to ensure immediate corrective steps. The aviation regulator also sought a detailed explanation from the airline regarding the reasons for mass cancellations and delays, along with an action plan to stabilise operations.
Meanwhile, a pilots’ association accused the airline of suddenly stopping recruitment despite having two years to prepare for new rules related to flight duty time and rest requirements. The pilots requested that seasonal flight schedules should not be approved until the airline has enough crew to operate safely under the new standards.
In a statement, the management admitted that normalising flight operations was proving to be extremely challenging. The leadership accepted that the airline failed to deliver the level of service expected by passengers during this crisis, acknowledging the inconvenience caused.
Passengers Face Harsh Experience on Adampur–Mumbai Route
Passengers travelling from Adampur to Mumbai experienced extreme hardship as their scheduled evening flight was cancelled just an hour before departure. The travellers were instructed to reach Amritsar airport for a rescheduled flight expected to leave at 10 PM. Many rushed to Amritsar by their own arrangements, only to find further delays and uncertainty.
At Amritsar, passengers were repeatedly told that the flight would depart at different times — 11:30 PM, 12:50 AM, 2:20 AM, 4:30 AM, 6:30 AM and finally 9:30 AM. Many waited through the entire night without sleep, only to return home the next morning in disappointment. They complained that no clear reason was provided for the delays and that the staff offered no proper assistance or assurance.
Some travellers shared that they had important business meetings and hotel bookings in Mumbai but were forced to cancel their plans after waiting more than 18 hours. They described the experience as one of the most distressing moments of their air-travel journeys, with many stating that such treatment was unacceptable and deeply unprofessional.
The airline has yet to provide a detailed public explanation for the large-scale disruption, leaving passengers across the country demanding answers and compensation for the inconvenience caused.