Chennai airport sees 28 flight cancellations on day 9 of IndiGo disruption; fares drop to normalcy

CHENNAI: For the ninth consecutive day, flight operations at Chennai International Airport (MAA) continue to face disruption due to ongoing issues with IndiGo's services. Authorities announced the cancellation of a total of 28 flights on Thursday—14 departures and 14 arrivals—affecting both domestic and international routes.

The cancellations impacted key domestic connections to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Bhubaneswar, Patna, and Jaipur. International flights to Singapore, Bangkok, and Penang were also grounded.

However, in a relief to passengers, the number of cancelled IndiGo flights has decreased compared to previous days. Furthermore, airfares, which had skyrocketed over the past week due to the reduced capacity, have now dropped substantially. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) intervened by capping airfare hikes on affected routes. As a result, ticket prices for destinations like Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Thoothukudi, and Salem from Chennai have returned to their usual levels.

Airport sources indicate that IndiGo's operations are gradually being restored and are expected to return to a full normal schedule by December 15. The airline's prolonged service challenges had caused major inconvenience to travelers, with a high volume of cancellations leading to crowded terminals and exorbitant last-minute ticket prices until regulatory action was taken.