Special trains introduced to aid passengers stranded by IndiGo flight cancellations across India are operating with hundreds of vacant seats, while regular long-distance services run at full capacity. The airline’s operational issues entered the seventh day on Monday, with over 400 flights cancelled the previous day.
According to details received by The Chenab Times, help desks at both terminals of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport recorded minimal inquiries about rail bookings on Sunday. Queries focused instead on baggage retrieval and ticket availability for other airlines. Western Railway launched a special Mumbai Central-New Delhi service that day, halting at Borivali, Surat, Vadodara, Ratlam, Nagda, Kota, and Mathura, with AC 3-tier economy coaches. IRCTC data indicated nearly 450 empty seats on the train by evening, even as premium routes like Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Tejas Express showed no vacancies.
A comparable situation unfolded on the Pune-Bengaluru corridor, where special trains had substantial openings despite packed regular services. Hansif Kumar, a traveler from Kolkata stranded in Mumbai with his family for work and an event, described the challenges. Other airlines quoted exorbitant fares, and hotel rooms were scarce. The group retrieved checked baggage only that day and planned to book train tickets via app, extending a 2.5-hour flight into a nearly 30-hour journey.
Hindustan Times reported the disruptions stem from technical glitches starting December 3, grounding hundreds of flights nationwide. Over 1,000 cancellations occurred on December 5, followed by more than 500 on December 6 and over 400 on December 7, with major impacts at Delhi (106 flights), Hyderabad (115), Bengaluru (124 on December 6), and Mumbai (109 on December 6). The crisis coincides with peak winter travel for vacations, weddings, and weather. Iqbal Mulla, former president of the Travel Agents Association of India, noted the added confusion for travelers and agents in recommending alternatives.
Railways announced 89 special trains across zones over December 6-8 to address the surge, including 14 “Train on Demand” services by Central Railway for festival and vacation demand. The Economic Times confirmed over 400 cancellations on December 7, concentrated at Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Delhi. IndiGo stated over 95% of its network restored by December 6, with cancellations dropping below 850 that day, and operations expected to normalize between December 10-15.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation mandated full refunds for all cancelled or disrupted flights by 8:00 PM on December 7, with no rescheduling charges. Airfares were capped at ₹7,500-₹18,000 based on distance to curb surges. Travel aggregator ixigo committed to refunding convenience and assured fees for bookings cancelled between December 3-8. Air India and Air India Express capped economy fares on non-stop domestic routes since December 4 and offered accommodations. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation formed a committee to review the crisis and warned of regulatory action against IndiGo for inadequate planning ahead of new pilot duty and rest norms effective November 1.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
