Bengaluru Woman Stranded With Father’s Ashes as IndiGo Cancels Flights; Alternative Tickets Cost Rs 60,000

BENGALURU: In the end, it was not the desired respectful journey but rather a nightmare for Namita, who had made all the arrangements for her father’s asthi visarjan in Haridwar for weeks. Instead, she was at Kempegowda International Airport with a small urn in her hand, controlling her tears as the mass flight cancellations by the IndiGo airline hit the country on Friday.

“I have my father’s asthi with me,” Namita said, helplessly looking at the nervous passengers and the never-ending line. “I was meant to land first in Delhi and then in Dehradun. The ritual has to be done tomorrow. But, the flight got cancelled at the last minute. They are now telling us to take other airlines — tickets are Rs 60,000 a person. How can we do that?”

Her miserable state is, to some extent, the same as many other travelers who have become part of what is termed as IndiGo’s one of the most difficult operational messes ever. The group at Bengaluru Airport saw 52 flights coming in and 50 going out canceled, which caused the people waiting at the airport to sleep there. The officials disclosed that the next operational news would be after 6 pm. Travelers across the terminal were found lying on the floor, waiting in the long winding queues, and making noise over the communication problem.

"Bengaluru Airport's T1 is completely messed up—people have been here since last night and there is still no clear communication," a passenger complained on X.

It is now a full-blown crisis and not just a small disruption. It has gone nationwide: There were 225 cancellations in Delhi, 104 in Mumbai, 92 in Hyderabad, and 102 in Bengaluru—these numbers are unprecedented in the 20-year history of IndiGo.

What Made the Flights Collapse

IndiGo attributed the turmoil to a shortage of pilots and crew struggling to meet duty-time limits—an operational problem that took an alarming turn and led to hundreds of flights being grounded.

For customers like Namita, the reasons given provide no comfort at all. “We lost our entire money. They inform us that we will be given a partial refund in a week, but nobody knows how much,” she said. “I am asking the government to assist me in getting to the Haridwar. My father's last rites cannot be delayed.”

The airline is trying hard to get operations back to normal, but in the meantime, there are already thousands of passengers waiting in different parts of the country, who have missed family ceremonies, medical appointments, meet-ups, and even international connections.