Teams from Western and Central Railway in Mumbai reached both Mumbai airports — T1 and T2 — early Sunday to assist passengers stranded due to the ongoing IndiGo disruption, reported Mid Day. Railway staff set up dedicated helpdesks to guide affected travellers who were unable to fly. Western Railway’s chief public relations officer Vineet Abhishek said the assistance counters would help passengers access information about alternative trains, ongoing schedules, and available bookings. The sudden crisis left many travellers uncertain about their next steps, prompting urgent railway support to manage the growing crowd at both airport terminals.
Indian Railways has rolled out 84 special trains to help passengers impacted by widespread IndiGo flight cancellations and delays, reported Mid Day. These trains have been arranged across multiple railway zones, with additional resources deployed to handle the increased demand. Officials stated that the temporary services are intended to provide relief for thousands of stranded flyers looking to reach their destinations. The move comes as airport chaos intensifies, with disrupted air services placing pressure on alternative travel systems like trains and interstate buses, prompting Indian Railways to scale up operations swiftly.
A passenger who was supposed to take a flight from Mumbai told IANS, "There is no information on flight status. I came here to check whether the flights are resumed or not because I have a flight on 10th and I have a flight on 9th as well, so there is no information the counter is giving. There is no information on the total also, so absolutely there is no change..."
Another passenger at Mumbai Airport told IANS, "Yesterday, we traveled from Port Blair. My parents and I had booked our flights, but when we reached Hyderabad, we were informed that there was a one-hour layover, which extended to 6 hours. We ended up traveling for 12–13 hours, and no meals were provided. Today, my parents, both senior citizens aged 70 and 65, had a flight to Kanpur. We received a text in the morning saying their flight was canceled.."
Another passenger who booked a flight from Mumbai to Pune told IANS, "I was supposed to fly to Pune, but my flight was cancelled. Since no flights were available for Pune, I had to come to Mumbai and now need to travel to Pune from here. Yesterday, my flight from Chennai was scheduled for 8:40 AM, but I only received a cancellation message after 6:30 PM. When I tried to rebook, no flights were available for Pune. IndiGo has been completely irresponsible..."
Since last week, India’s aviation sector has been experiencing severe operational disruptions caused largely by IndiGo cancellations, significant delays, and last-minute schedule changes, reported Mid Day. Sources linked the crisis to a sudden shortage of pilots and cabin crew after revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms introduced by the DGCA last year came into effect. The updated rules significantly altered working hours and rest requirements for airline staff. With IndiGo operating one of the largest domestic fleets, the staffing deficit triggered a cascading operational failure affecting routes nationwide, leaving the aviation ecosystem struggling to restore normalcy.
The situation has caused major inconvenience for thousands of passengers, many of whom have been stranded for hours at airports with limited support, reported Mid Day. Long queues, unavailability of seats on alternative flights, and insufficient communication from the airline have led to frustration and repeated complaints. Several travellers have urged IndiGo to provide timely status updates, meal arrangements, and smoother rebooking processes to ease the disruption. The ongoing crisis has highlighted gaps in the aviation system’s preparedness for sudden operational shocks, especially during peak travel periods when demand is significantly higher than usual.