The disruption began on December 1, when IndiGo started cancelling flights citing crew shortages. The situation worsened through the week, with 11 IndiGo flights to and from Indore including routes to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, and Bengaluru cancelled on Wednesday alone. Two more early-morning flights were scrapped on Thursday, adding to passenger distress.
“December marks the winter schedule, and people plan trips months in advance,” said Amol Kataria, State President of the Travel Agents Federation of India. “Our figures show 300 to 350 tours from MP have been affected. While hotels have issued credit notes for future stays, the uncertainty over availability during peak dates remains a major concern.”
Travel agents say the cancellations have not only hit holiday travellers but also disrupted wedding-related movements and large-scale events, causing financial losses running into crores. New bookings have slowed sharply, and hotel occupancy has begun to dip.
Passengers stranded mid-journey shared their ordeal. Vishal Kale, who had booked a Kashmir trip, said his IndiGo flight was delayed repeatedly before being cancelled. “We couldn’t inform the hotel in time. Since we booked directly, they refused a refund. After much negotiation, they agreed to give only half a credit note.”
Another passenger, Jitendra Singh Chauhan, who was headed to Goa, said his hotel was willing to issue a credit note but dates for rebooking were no longer available.
Airport officials expect partial normalisation by Monday, but until then, travellers may continue to face significant disruptions as India’s busiest holiday season enters its peak.
