Kolkata’s air passengers faced a challenging weekend as IndiGo cancelled ten flights and delayed more than eighty arrivals and departures, following operational disruptions triggered largely by a shortage of crew and cascading system inefficiencies. The interruptions, which affected services to major metros, underscore the fragility of India’s aviation network and its wider impact on urban mobility.
Airport authorities indicated that cancellations covered flights to and from Delhi, Nagpur and other key destinations. Five incoming flights and five scheduled departures were withdrawn during the day, while nearly ninety movements experienced extended delays. According to an airport spokesperson, the bottlenecks stemmed from simultaneous resource constraints across airlines, weather-linked congestion, and the seasonal reshuffling of schedules.
IndiGo, which operates more than 2,300 flights daily, acknowledged the disruptions and said that a mix of “unforeseen operational challenges” had compounded into a network-wide slowdown. An airline official cited minor digital system glitches, winter timetable changes and updated crew rostering rules among the factors that converged to reduce aircraft and personnel availability. The carrier added that teams were working to stabilise operations and reduce passenger inconvenience.
Industry observers noted that while short-term disruptions are not uncommon during winter, the scale seen over the past two days reveals deeper systemic vulnerabilities. According to an aviation analyst, crew rostering transitions, infrastructure limitations, and congested air corridors are increasingly stretching airlines’ ability to maintain consistent on-time performance. “India’s aviation demand is rising faster than the operational capacity of airports and airlines, making even small disruptions ripple across the system,” the analyst said.
Kolkata’s experience mirrors challenges at other busy hubs, with over a hundred IndiGo flights reportedly cancelled across major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The domino effect, experts explained, is worsened when airports lack redundancy in gate allocation, taxiway capacity, and air traffic management all of which prevent rapid recovery during operational stress.For passengers, the consequences were immediate and uncomfortable. Hundreds of travellers navigated last-minute cancellations, prolonged waiting hours and missed connections, highlighting the critical role reliable aviation plays in India’s urban economic engines. With airports serving as multimodal gateways into cities, such disruptions also indirectly burden local transport networks, hotels and business schedules.
A senior urban mobility researcher said the incident underscores the need for resilient aviation systems that support sustainable and accessible urban growth. “As cities strive for equitable and climate-aligned mobility, aviation can’t remain the weak link. Stronger infrastructure, digital coordination, and predictable scheduling are essential,” the researcher noted.While airline officials expect gradual normalisation, the episode has renewed conversations on investing in robust, future-ready aviation ecosystems ones capable of protecting passenger experience and supporting India’s push toward sustainable, efficient and inclusive mobility.
Kolkata Hit By IndiGo Chaos As Ten Flights Cancelled And Many Delayed
