Fog or Failure? IndiGo’s Mass Cancellations Affects People

IndiGo’s mass flight cancellations reveal how weather disruptions, market dominance, and weak passenger protections stress India’s aviation system.

Many IndiGo flights were cancelled or delayed on Saturday as the severe fog in the country's north continues to have an impact on aircraft operations. IndiGo, which has been working to get its operations back on track, issued an early morning alert stating that flight schedules in Ranchi, Jammu, and Hindon may be affected due to low visibility and fog. As winter arrives in northern India, thick fog continues to blanket Delhi and other states, decreasing visibility in the early morning hours and hampering airline and airport operations.

Meanwhile, Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport confirmed that poor visibility measures are still in place and that all aircraft operations are running smoothly. On Saturday, December 20, more than 80 IndiGo flights were canceled, primarily due to severe fog and poor weather conditions. Everyone was taken aback when India's major airline, IndiGo, stopped operations.

The airline, which accounts for more than 60% of all flights, abruptly cancelled up to 4,500 flights in a single week. Stranded travelers had to find alternative modes of transportation or pay extremely high and unreasonable fees for the limited tickets available on other airlines. IndiGo transports around two-thirds of all domestic passengers. For years, the airline represented the promise of efficient, low-cost aircraft. However, when it began canceling hundreds of flights and grounding planes, the headlines merely hinted at the underlying institutional issue.

Over 60% of India's domestic market is dominated by IndiGo. When a major airline fails, it has wider network implications and customers have fewer options for flights, which makes problems feel more serious on a national level.

The Consumer Protection Act was lastly updated on 2019. The act remains to be built only for individual disputes despite its update. The act cannot be used to address the loss of tens of thousands of passengers. And it is not possible for each affected traveller to file an individual complaint taking a legal action. The change in system needs to be considered to help people in mass-harm events like this, after all system is made for the benefit of people.