NEW DELHI, India — Airfares surged to extraordinary levels across major routes on Friday after IndiGo cancelled all its domestic departures from Delhi Airport until midnight, creating an immediate shortage of available seats and triggering sharp last-minute price spikes nationwide.
Delhi Airport announced the suspension on its official X handle, stating that all IndiGo domestic flights scheduled to depart on December 5 would remain cancelled until 11:59 p.m. The airport said operations for other airlines were continuing normally and advised passengers to check their flight status before heading to the terminal.
The market reacted within minutes. An Air India one-stop flight from Delhi to Bengaluru for Friday night rose to Rs 1.02 lakh, while Akasa Air priced the same route at around Rs 39,000. Delhi–Mumbai fares on Air India peaked at Rs 60,000. On the Chennai–Delhi sector, Air India Express tickets touched Rs 41,000 and SpiceJet quotes climbed as high as Rs 69,000.
Hyderabad routes saw similarly steep increases. A Hyderabad–Delhi one-stop Air India flight reached Rs 87,000. Hyderabad–Mumbai fares went up to Rs 76,500, while Hyderabad–Bengaluru tickets on Air India rose to Rs 41,400. Air India Express listed the same route at Rs 36,100.
The disruption extended far beyond Delhi. More than 220 IndiGo flights were cancelled in the capital, along with more than 100 in Bengaluru and nearly 90 in Hyderabad. Airports across the country saw long queues, extended delays and thousands of stranded passengers.
IndiGo has been dealing with widespread cancellations for several days. The airline has attributed the disruptions to the rollout of new Flight Duty Time Limitation norms for pilots, which have created crew shortages and scheduling complications. The rules are designed to reduce fatigue and improve safety, but IndiGo acknowledged it underestimated the crew requirements under the new framework.
In November alone, IndiGo recorded more than 1,200 cancellations across its network. On Thursday, over 500 flights were cancelled nationwide, marking one of the worst operational breakdowns the airline has faced in recent years. (Source: IANS)
