By December 7, 2025, the IndiGo scheduling crisis had deepened significantly. International media including Al Jazeera reported that IndiGo had cancelled nearly 4,500 flights over 10 days since December 2. The crisis stemmed from the airline's failure to comply with DGCA's Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms that mandated increased rest periods for pilots.

The union government placed temporary price caps on airfares as other airlines hiked prices. The DGCA later penalised IndiGo ₹22.2 crore for the disruptions. The episode raised questions about regulatory oversight in India's rapidly growing aviation sector — India is the world's third-largest domestic aviation market. Consumer forums and courts received thousands of complaints from stranded passengers.