VASCO
Passengers at Goa International Airport in Dabolim faced a chaotic travel day on Thursday after IndiGo cancelled 11 flights and delayed 25 others, leaving hundreds of travellers stranded, frustrated, and scrambling for alternate arrangements.
The disruptions at Dabolim came even as the airline battles a nationwide operational crisis that has triggered cancellations across major airports in recent days.
At Dabolim, IndiGo flights to key destinations including Chandigarh (6E724), Indore (6E813), Mumbai (6E205, 6E5297, 6E5143), Surat (6E418), Delhi (6E6193), Hyderabad (6E744, 6E206, 6E744 — second frequency), and Kolkata (6E162) were cancelled through the day.
The sudden cancellations left many travellers distressed, while several others were forced to wait endlessly as over two dozen domestic flights operated by IndiGo continued on prolonged delays.
Sources at the airport said that departure delays affected flights to major metros such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Lucknow, Chennai, and Cochin. Some of these flights were held up for more than an hour, causing significant congestion at the terminal.
A senior Dabolim Airport official said that passengers on the cancelled flights had been informed beforehand, and efforts were underway to manage the backlog.
“A total of eleven flights have been cancelled, and these decisions were taken only after prior intimation to all passengers, as conveyed by IndiGo officials. There are 25 operational flights today, but all are running on delays. The first flight scheduled to arrive from Hyderabad at 13:50 landed at 14:45, and passengers have been cleared. Necessary refreshments have been provided to those waiting,” the official said, adding that the airport team was coordinating with the airline to minimise inconvenience.
Thursday’s situation in Goa mirrors the larger national crisis unfolding for IndiGo.
The airline has been grappling with severe operational disruptions since Wednesday, when over 150 flights were cancelled across major hubs including Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. Passengers nationwide have been stranded in long queues amid last-minute cancellations and repeated delays.
Officials familiar with the situation attributed the crisis to IndiGo’s struggle to transition to the stringent new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) for crew rostering. The airline’s difficulties have been compounded by technical glitches, adverse winter weather, and congestion at multiple airports, creating a cascading breakdown in schedules.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has summoned senior IndiGo officials to explain the unprecedented disruptions and outline a concrete mitigation plan. The regulator is monitoring the situation closely as disruptions continue into a second day.
In a statement issued on December 3, IndiGo said the disruptions were caused by a “series of unforeseen challenges,” including minor technology glitches, weather-related schedule changes, system-wide congestion, and the new FDTL framework.
The airline apologised for the widespread inconvenience and said it had initiated calibrated schedule adjustments for the next 48 hours to restore operational stability.
