Indigo Flight Cancellation Fiasco: Heaps Of Luggage Seen Lying At Delhi Airport As Chaos Continues Watch

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Amid the IndiGo fiasco, the baggage handling remains a major challenge for ground staff. Visuals from Delhi airport show a massive buildup of unclaimed luggage, as many passengers reported not receiving their bags even 24 hours after landing.

Viral videos show hundreds of suitcases neatly lined up inside the terminal, with no clarity on when they will finally be reunited with their owners.

Watch the video:

Meanwhile, IndiGo will conduct a“root cause analysis” of the recent flight disruptions, which were triggered by a combination of factors, a senior airline official said on Sunday, as reported by PTI.

The immediate priority, the official added, is to stabilise operations, a process expected to be completed by 10 December, PTI reported.

Amid the lack of proper crew planning while implementing the new flight duty norms being cited as a key reason for the significant operational disruptions, the official said the airline has an adequate number of pilots, and there is no deficiency.

“Our pilot numbers are fine, while we may not be have the luxury of having a buffer,” the official told PTI.

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Elbers, in an internal video message to the staff, said the airline's On Time Performance (OTP) is expected to be 75 per cent on Sunday.

“Today, we have realised further improvements of the system in order to reach around 1,650 flights,” he said.

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New Delhi, India - Dec. 7, 2025: Stranded passengers inquiry about flight status at T1 Terminal of IGI Airport due to mass cancellation of IndiGo flights in New Delhi, India, on Sunday, December 7, 2025. (Photo by RAJ K RAJ / Hindustan Times)
(RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The video message was from the airline's operational control centre.“We have been able to execute the cancellations at an earlier stage so that the customers do not show up at the airport in case their flights are cancelled,” the CEO said.

According to IndiGo, 137 out of 138 destinations are in operation on December 7.

Also Read | Who is Pieter Elbers? IndiGo CEO gets DGCA's notice over mass cancellations

According to the government, refunds totalling ₹610 crore have been issued so far against cancelled or severely delayed flights, and 3,000 pieces of baggage have been delivered to passengers across the country as of Saturday, after government had directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for the cancelled flights by Sunday evening, and ensure baggage separated from travellers are delivered in the next two days.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has taken rapid and decisive steps to address the disruption caused by the recent IndiGo operational crisis and to ensure that passengers do not face continued inconvenience, according to a MoCA press release.

Air travel operations across the country are stabilising at a fast pace. All other domestic airlines are operating smoothly and at full capacity, while IndiGo's performance has shown steady improvement today, with flight schedules moving back towards normal levels, the statement said.

IndiGo's flight operations have increased from 706 on December 5 to 1,565 on December 6 and are likely to reach up to 1,650 by the end of today, the statement added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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