(MENAFN- Live Mint) Indian travellers have been facing issues while travelling over the last few days due to the cancellation, delay and rescheduling of several IndiGo flights. People had to cancel their plans or make alterations at the last moment.

Such events are rare. However, in the past as well, there have been instances of air travel disruptions that have caused havoc with people's plans. Here are five occasions in the past when air travel was left seriously paralyzed.

US government shutdown causes problems

Earlier in this year, a government shutdown in the US led to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) being short-staffed, forcing it to make heavy cuts to air traffic. As many as 40 airports were chosen for a reduction of air traffic, according to Travel Radar.

The disruptions reached a crescendo when, on 8 November, the number of flights cancelled or delayed reached 5,000. Almost 13,000 air traffic controllers were working without pay, leading to issues for the authorities as many called in sick or looked for alternative employment. Once the shutdown was over, things went back to normalcy.

Air India crash

On 12 June 2025, the Air India Flight 171 going from Ahmedabad to London crashed shortly after take-off, killing all but one person on board. After the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171, which was en route to London from Ahmedabad, all flights from Delhi Airport Terminal 1 to Ahmedabad were cancelled as a precautionary measure, India Today reported. Services resumed later.

Airbus planes grounded

In November 2025, aviation giant Airbus was forced to change its schedule due to problems with the A320 planes, the main model used by the company. The issues affected 6,000 flights, as per Politico.

“Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls,” a statement from the company said.

Spain's power outage

On 28 April 2025, the entire Iberian Peninsula and parts of France experienced a power outage that caused massive disruption to public transport, as trains remained stranded for hours.

However, in a massive relief, the air traffic remained largely unaffected. This was owing to the activation of the contingency protocols by the agencies. As per alg-global, the area control centers and air traffic control towers in Spain switched to autonomous power generators and backup resources to ensure continuity of services.

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There were still some delays, but the airspace remained open, and air traffic remained fluid.

Hurricane Katrina

This hurricane caused a lot of damage on the ground, but left a mark on air travel also. Commercial flights to and from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) were suspended. The airport saw a massive decline in the number of passengers, and it took nearly a decade for it to become normal.

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The Airbus A320 planes developed some issues.

What happened after Hurricane Katrina?

Commercial flights to and from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport were suspended. The airport experienced a significant decline in passenger numbers.

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