Day 5 of IndiGo flight chaos: Know how Indian Railways is assisting stranded passengers
New Delhi: IndiGo cancelled 405 domestic flights on Saturday, marking the fifth consecutive day of a major operational crisis at India’s largest carrier. The disruptions, caused by a shortage of pilots and planning shortcomings, have severely affected domestic air travel, prompting Indian Railways to step in with additional services to assist stranded passengers.
IndiGo, which operates over 2,300 daily flights with a fleet exceeding 400 aircraft, has seen punctuality plummet, leaving thousands of travellers frustrated at airports nationwide due to cascading delays and cancellations.
To mitigate the crisis, Indian Railways deployed 116 extra coaches across 37 high-demand trains, covering 114 enhanced trips across the country. The Railway Ministry said Southern Railway recorded the highest augmentations, adding coaches to 18 trains to expand seating capacity in the region.
“Additional Chair Car and Sleeper Class coaches have been deployed on high-demand routes. These augmentations, implemented from December 6, 2025 onward, substantially expand accommodation capacity in the southern region,” the ministry stated.
Northern Railway added 3AC and Chair Car coaches to eight trains, while Western Railway strengthened four high-demand trains with 3AC and 2AC coaches, enhancing connectivity from western states to Delhi. East Central Railway increased capacity on the Rajendra Nagar–New Delhi (12309) service by adding 2AC coaches on five trips between December 6 and 10, improving the crucial Bihar–Delhi corridor. Similarly, East Coast Railway augmented Bhubaneswar–New Delhi services (20817/20811/20823) by adding 2AC coaches across five trips.
Speaking to IANS, Indian Railway Board Executive Director of Information and Publicity (EDIP) Dilip Kumar said:
“Considering the rush of passengers, Indian Railways has decided to add extra coaches to several trains. In addition, plans have been made to operate several special trains. So far, 116 extra coaches are planned to be added to 37 trains, and work is underway accordingly.”
In addition to these augmentations, four special trains have been introduced:
- Gorakhpur–Anand Vihar Terminal–Gorakhpur Special (05591/05592) – Four trips from December 7-9
- New Delhi–Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan–New Delhi Reserved Vande Bharat Special (02439/02440) – Operating December 6
- New Delhi–Mumbai Central–New Delhi Reserved Superfast Special (04002/04001) – December 6-7
- Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Central Reserved Superfast Special (04080) – One-way service on December 6
The interventions by Indian Railways aim to provide alternative travel options to passengers affected by IndiGo’s operational disruptions, ensuring smoother connectivity across major domestic air and rail corridors.
IANS