Amid IndiGo’s mass flight cancellations and the ongoing crisis, a viral video on social media shows a woman passenger confronting airline staff, claiming that they broke her ticket and apparently she wants to return to her home country.
Jumping onto the counter, she alleges that there was no food and demands a new ticket as other passengers look on and witness the disturbing situation.
The video has garnered 1 million views.
(Livemint couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the video. Airline didn't respond when Mint reached out)
Netizens react
One of the social media users said, “I feel so sorry for the ground staff- they face the brunt of it.” Another questioned, "Not a good example ! What do staff has to do with Management’s failure ??
“First of all she is not even speaking in a language which is understandable to the staff and second of all shouting and howling like this won’t achieve anything,” remarked a third user.
A comment citing woman's statement read, “I'm going back to my country. I'm returning because you ruined my ticket. So I'm going back to France. I'm returning to France. I'm going back to my country. They ruined everything. They spoiled everything.”
“When they mess things up, they expect people to just deal with it. They want to keep people occupied. There's nothing to eat, nowwhere to slee[. I'm leaving and going back, this is what she said,” it added.
Meanwhile, IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights on Friday and announced that it expects operations to return to normal within the next 10 days.
This comes after the country’s largest airline received temporary relief from flight duty regulations from the Directorate General Of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which will also investigate the disruptions that have affected thousands of passengers for four consecutive days, according to PTI.
As cancellations and delays mounted, major airports across India saw continued chaos, with distressed travellers seeking updates and searching for their luggage.
IndiGo, responsible for nearly two-thirds of India’s domestic air traffic and typically operating about 2,300 flights daily, failed to adequately prepare for the new flight duty rules that mandate longer rest periods and limit night landings.
With the travel crisis entering its fourth day, the DGCA on Friday granted IndiGo temporary exemptions from key Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), including rules on night landings and the definition of night hours. The airline had requested these relaxations to help stabilise its operations.
The new FDTL norms were originally set to take effect for IndiGo on November 1. Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said on Friday that operational interventions, including suspending the new duty rules, would help ease the airline’s disruptions, with full service restoration expected within three days.
The DGCA has formed a four-member committee to determine the causes behind the irregularities. It noted that preliminary findings point to shortcomings in IndiGo’s internal oversight, operational readiness, and compliance planning, necessitating an independent review.
Officials added that the FDTL exemptions apply only to IndiGo’s A320 family aircraft, which constitute most of its fleet, and will remain in force until February 10, 2026.
