TNI Bureau: A wave of cancellations and operational breakdowns at IndiGo — India’s biggest domestic airline — has triggered a steep, nationwide surge in airfares, leaving thousands of passengers stranded or forced to pay exorbitant prices.

The airline cancelled hundreds of flights across major airports, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad, after a pilot and crew shortage made worse by recently introduced flight-duty-time norms disrupted scheduling.

With supply drastically reduced but demand still high, ticket prices on remaining flights spiked dramatically — in many cases rising 3–5 times the normal rate. On some busy routes, last-minute one-way fares soared past ₹50,000, while a few peaked above ₹80,000. In some cases, passengers were asked to pay Rs 1 lakh in Air India flights.

Passengers reported long queues, chaotic rebooking efforts, scrambled travel plans, and frustration as they struggled to secure seats at inflated costs. Some described the fare hikes as “exploitative,” especially
since many had already booked travel in advance with IndiGo.

The disruption has exposed how fragile the domestic flight-market balance can be when a dominant airline falters. With limited alternatives on many routes, consumers are paying the price — quite literally — as the ripple effects of IndiGo’s collapse hit the entire air-travel system