A dramatic scene unfolded at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Friday when an African woman climbed onto an IndiGo airline counter, shouting at staff after her flight was abruptly cancelled. The incident, captured in a viral video, highlighted the widespread frustration among thousands of passengers facing mass flight disruptions across India. More than 400 IndiGo flights were cancelled on Friday, with 109 cancellations reported at Mumbai airport alone by Saturday morning.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} ### Escalating Passenger Frustration The viral video shows the woman repeatedly demanding answers from IndiGo staff. When she allegedly received no response regarding her cancelled flight, she lost her temper and climbed onto the counter. She began shouting about the airline's mismanagement, drawing alarmed reactions from bystanders.^[1][6][2][3] Other passengers gathered around the counter, many visibly upset after hours of delays and cancellations.^[1][6][3] Social media user @vishalpatel.vj shared the video on Instagram with the caption "Indigo delays and Passenger relays."^[1][6][3] Reactions to the clip were mixed online. Some users criticized the woman's outburst, questioning if yelling at staff would help the situation.^[1][3] However, many others expressed sympathy, understanding her frustration given the widespread travel chaos.^[1][2][3] One Instagram user claimed the woman stated she was forced to abandon her trip, saying, "I'm going back to my country. I'm returning because you ruined my ticket. So I'm going back to France. They ruined everything. They spoiled everything. When they mess things up, they expect people to just deal with it."^[1][3] ### IndiGo's Nationwide Operational Crisis The incident at Mumbai airport comes amid a severe operational crisis for IndiGo, India's largest airline, which has seen hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed across the country. On Friday, over 400 flights were cancelled nationwide, deepening the disruption.^[1][7][3] The chaos continued into Saturday, with more than 500 flights cancelled across India.^[8] Mumbai airport alone reported 109 IndiGo flight cancellations by Saturday morning, including 51 arrivals and 58 departures.^[4][5] Other major airports affected included Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Goa, and Pune.^[7][9][4][8] This widespread disruption is now in its fifth day.^[5] IndiGo attributed the crisis to a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges. These include the implementation of updated crew rostering rules, known as Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), and an acute shortage of cockpit crew.^{[1][7][9][10][11]} Technology glitches, planning gaps, schedule changes linked to the winter season, and increased congestion in the aviation system also contributed to the negative impact on operations.^[9][10][11] The new FDTL rules, which took effect recently, have altered pilot rosters and reduced the number of night-time landings pilots can make.^[9][11] Thousands of passengers have been left stranded for hours, often with minimal communication, food, or water.^[12][9] Many complained about a lack of clarity on flight status and expensive alternate travel options.^[12] Some passengers also reported missing baggage, which piled up across terminals and operational areas.^[13][14] ### Airline and Government Response IndiGo has acknowledged the significant disruption and issued an apology to its customers. The airline stated that its teams are working "around the clock to ease customer discomfort and ensure operations stabilize as quickly as possible."^[1] IndiGo also indicated that calibrated adjustments would remain in place over the next 48 hours to normalize operations and progressively recover punctuality across its network.^[1] The airline has also stated it is addressing all customer refund issues on "priority."^[13] The Civil Aviation Ministry has stepped in, with Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu calling the situation "unacceptable."^[7] He made it clear that action against IndiGo was "unavoidable," stating, "It's not 'could be', it will be. There will be action on them… our focus is the passenger." T^[7]he government has ordered a formal inquiry and constituted a committee to probe the disruptions and identify accountability. T^[7]he Ministry of Civil Aviation directed IndiGo to complete all pending passenger refunds without delay, mandating that the process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be fully completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday, December 7, 2025. A^[4]irlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for affected passengers. ^[4]The flight cancellations have caused airfares to skyrocket for alternative travel options. On Friday, a one-way, one-stop economy-class SpiceJet ticket from Kolkata to Mumbai cost up to ₹90,000, and an Air India ticket for Mumbai-Bhubaneswar reached ₹84,485. To he^[13]lp stranded passengers, the East Coast Railway has decided to run Train-on-Demand (TOD) special trains and add additional coaches to regular trains towards Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Howrah regions. ### ^[13]Ground Staff Bearing the Brunt Amid the chaos, IndiGo's ground staff, including passenger service personnel, loaders, and cleaners, have been on the front lines, facing the brunt of passenger anger. With ^[14]little information on flight status, inadequate backup, and hardly any crisis-management training, they faced hours of verbal abuse and, in some sporadic incidents, physical violence. A sta^[14]ffer at Mumbai airport reported that a cleaner in his 20s was allegedly hit by a male passenger on Friday. Anoth^[14]er source mentioned an IndiGo security manager being hit in the departure area. "We ^[14]ourselves didn't know which flight was going or not going," an IndiGo staffer said. "There was no help from top management. We had to deal with passengers alone." Airli^[14]ne executives noted that "unruly passenger rules were of little use" given the scale of anger, leaving frontline staff with little practical protection. The ^[14]incident at Mumbai airport serves as a stark illustration of the intense frustration gripping travelers across India. As IndiGo works to stabilize its operations and the government intervenes, thousands continue to face uncertainty and disruption in their travel plans.

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