GUWAHATI, Dec 6: Air travel across the Northeast was thrown into disarray on Friday after more than 20 flights were abruptly cancelled from Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded for hours with minimal communication from airlines.
IndiGo, the region’s largest operator, cancelled all flights from Guwahati across multiple routes and suspended services to and from the Northeast until December 7. The move triggered widespread disruption for travellers heading to key destinations across the region. Similar chaos unfolded at Agartala’s Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, where all IndiGo flights were cancelled.
Long queues formed at help desks as frustrated passengers sought clarification on refunds and alternative travel options. Many reported receiving no prior alerts despite repeatedly checking flight updates. “The status kept showing active. Now fares for other flights have shot up to ₹60,000–70,000 for a trip that usually costs ₹6,000–7,000. This is unacceptable,” said a stranded passenger bound for Jaipur.
The crisis is part of a nationwide operational breakdown for IndiGo. On Thursday alone, the airline cancelled 550 flights across India, causing major disruptions at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers issued an internal apology to passengers and staff, acknowledging that the airline had failed to uphold its reliability promise to the 3.8 lakh passengers it serves daily. Elbers attributed the crisis to a “cascading impact” of minor technical issues, schedule disruptions, adverse weather, rising airspace congestion, and complications linked to the rollout of new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.
Social media platforms have since been flooded with videos of overcrowded terminals and anxious travellers as uncertainty lingers over when normal operations will resume
