India’s largest airline, IndiGo, is under fire from passengers after thousands of bags were stranded across airports following last week’s massive flight disruptions.
The carrier, which controls 65 percent of the domestic market, canceled more than 2,000 flights due to crew shortages triggered by stricter pilot rest rules. The chaos disrupted tens of thousands of journeys, including holiday and wedding plans, in what analysts call one of the worst aviation breakdowns in Indian history.
Bags Pile Up Across Airports
Social media has been flooded with images of security-tagged luggage piled up in terminals at New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
A viral Times of India headline read: “Delhi Left Holding The Bag”, showing hundreds of suitcases stacked in seating areas.
Many passengers complained of unanswered helplines and lack of updates from IndiGo’s social media team.
Government Steps In
The Indian government ordered IndiGo to trace and deliver all separated baggage within 48 hours. By Saturday, officials said the airline had managed to return 3,000 bags to passengers nationwide.
Passenger Ordeal
Vikash Bajpai, 47, recounted waiting four days for luggage checked in with his 72-year-old mother after attending a wedding in Kanpur. Their journey home to Pune involved a night in a New Delhi hotel, multiple connections, and a taxi from Mumbai but their bags never arrived.
“I was given a number to call, but nobody answers the phone. The luggage has expensive wedding clothes and shoes, and my mother’s medication,” Bajpai said, estimating the contents at 90,000 rupees ($1,000).
The incident highlights the fragility of India’s aviation sector as demand surges, with passengers demanding accountability from the country’s biggest airline.
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