In the first week of December 2025, IndiGo faced a major operational crisis. During December 3-5, 2025, the airline reported 2,507 cancelled flights and 1,852 delayed flights. More than 5,000 flights were also cancelled over eight days in early December, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports across India. The causes listed for the crisis were aircraft shortage due to grounded Pratt & Whitney engines, crew scheduling problems and adverse weather.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation summoned IndiGo management and directed the airline to compensate affected passengers. For exam preparation, this episode is not just an airline-specific disruption. It links with single-airline dominance in India's aviation sector, regulatory oversight and consumer protection. IndiGo had more than 60% domestic market share, so a disruption in one dominant airline can affect the wider passenger network and airport operations.
As a static-GK linkage, the issue connects with civil aviation regulation, single-airline dominance, crisis management and airport operations. The comparison with the final days of Jet Airways in 2019 shows why operational or financial stress in aviation can have wider consequences. In prelims, the likely focus is on the numbers, causes and regulator involved. In mains, it can support answers on competition, consumer rights and governance capacity. For RAS and UPSC preparation, it should be read as an economy-and-governance example.