Passengers at Gujarat’s major airports faced significant disruptions on Thursday as IndiGo flights continued to be delayed or cancelled across Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat for a second consecutive day. The operational meltdown follows a nationwide crisis, with over 300 flights cancelled across India in just two days, leaving travelers stranded and frustrated.

At Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, several flights were either delayed or cancelled, impacting key domestic routes. Among arrivals, flights 6E 6792 from Delhi, and 6E 883 and 6E 6927 from Hyderabad were cancelled. Other flights faced major delays, including 6E 819 from Pune, now scheduled to arrive at 10:40 instead of 6:10, and 6E 142 from Lucknow, delayed to 14:30 from the original 8:40. Similar delays affected flights from Dubai, Mumbai, Jodhpur, and other cities throughout the day.

Departures were also impacted, with flights such as 6E 6687 to Jodhpur now leaving at 15:05 instead of 9:20, 6E 6712 to Mumbai at 12:40 instead of 10:15, and 6E 6805 to Varanasi delayed until 18:45.

At Vadodara Airport, multiple cancellations were reported, including flights 6E 6662 and 6E 5164 to Delhi, as well as 6E 6087 to Mumbai.

Meanwhile, at Surat Airport, flight 6E 2646 to Delhi was delayed by 35 minutes, while flights 6E 492 and 6E 6846 were cancelled. The Surat–Jaipur flight 6E 784 was also delayed.

Rajkot Airport experienced delays for flights 6E 6558 and 6E 5009 to Delhi, and 6E 6132 to Mumbai.

According to reports, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has intervened following the crisis. Sources indicated that IndiGo’s pilot rostering and scheduling were severely mismanaged, with some pilots reportedly absent from duty rosters or attending interviews with other carriers, exacerbating the staffing shortage. Technical glitches, adverse weather, winter schedule adjustments, and updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules further strained operations.

IndiGo has acknowledged the disruptions, citing a combination of technical, operational, and staffing issues. The airline stated it is adjusting schedules over the next 48 hours, offering affected passengers alternative flights or refunds.

This incident marks one of the largest operational disruptions for India’s largest airline in recent years, highlighting systemic challenges in crew management, scheduling, and operational planning. DeshGujarat