Chaos returns to IGI airport as over 220 flights cancelled

As a dense layer of smoke and fog retained its grip over the Capital, a sharp and sudden drop in visibility late Sunday night plunged Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport into near-total disorder, with 228 flights cancelled and more than 800 delayed, triggering scenes of confusion, anger and exhaustion among thousands of stranded passengers through Monday.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

‘What began as weather-related disruption snowballed into a full-blown operational crisis by night.

Airport officials said low visibility conditions crippled departures through the early morning, leading to cascading delays that forced airlines to cancel flights throughout the day. By evening, terminals were packed with travellers waiting in long queues for check-in, baggage reclaim, rebooking counters and customer support desks, many with little clarity on when ~ or if ~ they would fly.

Passengers described spending hours standing in queues only to be told their flights had been cancelled, often after clearing security. Vishan Oberoi, one of the thousands affected, took to X to vent his frustration. “Two hours in the queue to check my bagin, finish security and then my flight is cancelled. I've now been in line for 45 minutes to know if I can get another flight,” he wrote on Monday night.

Lawyer Sanjay Hegde said he reached the airport before dawn to catch a 7.45am flight, only to find himself stuck on the tarmac for hours. “Woke up at 5am. Still sitting on the tarmac waiting for ATC clearance. We're told there are 40 aircraft in the queue ahead of us. The airhostess says some aircraft have been waiting over four hours,” he posted.