‘Waiting for take-off since morning…no food, no water and no basic support’: Stranded passengers struggle as over 100 IndiGo flights cancelled in Mumbai

“I’ve been here since early morning, waiting for my flight to Lucknow. It was supposed to take off this morning, but now they’ve pushed it to tomorrow,” said Tanu Singh, who had been waiting at Terminal 1. “There’s been no food, no water and no accommodation from IndiGo. We’re just sitting here with no basic support.”

At Terminal 1, Mohamed Kadhim, scheduled to travel to Kuwait, said he and another passenger received cancellation information only at the last moment. “They asked us to take a connecting flight through Delhi or Kolkata, and even our refund will not come immediately. They said it will take 7 to 16 days,” he said. “There are no proper answers, no food, no water, not even a place to sit. We are just stranded here with hundreds of others.”

The knock-on delays also affected passengers already rerouted due to earlier cancellations. Yashpal Singh, travelling from Ahmedabad to Chennai, was moved to a Mumbai connection after his original flight was withdrawn. “There is no water, no basic amenities and no waiting room. When we asked for help, the IndiGo staff told us to use the airport facilities by paying from our own pocket,” he said. “I was told my next flight would leave at 5.35 pm, but when I reached security with my boarding pass, they said the flight had already left at 4 pm,” he said.

Some passengers travelling in groups said the delays caused significant additional expenses, including hotel costs, local transport and lost bookings.

Ram Avatari, travelling from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with three others, said their pilgrimage trip was completely disrupted. “Our Ahmedabad flight left at 5 am instead of 11.55 pm. Then our morning flight to Sambhajinagar was cancelled. We waited the whole day for the 7.35 pm service, but even that was cancelled. We spent on a hotel, we spent on travel, and now the refund will take seven days,” he said. “If they cannot manage things, they should shut their flights,” he said.

Others said even refunds or basic clarification were difficult to access. Dhananjay Munde, whose flight was cancelled an hour before departure, said the airline’s website did not accept his PNR when he attempted to apply for a refund. “Even the flight number printed on our ticket did not match with the flight number displayed here,” he said. “We do not know where to complain or what to do,” he added.

A cabin crew member, who requested anonymity as staff were not authorised to speak, said employees were “under sustained pressure” as rosters were stretched throughout the day. “We are trying our best. We know passengers are frustrated, but we cannot satisfy everyone at once,” the crew member said, adding that staffing gaps were contributing to the ongoing “bottleneck” in operations.

According to sources, the disruption began on Tuesday, when 29 arrivals and 26 departures were cancelled in Mumbai. The impact deepened Thursday as the network continued to absorb delays linked to a nationwide shortage of available crew.