IndiGo didnt take off but my stress levels did

It is 6.30 in the morning and I am already hassled. Even as I wait patiently outside Chennai Airport to board an IndiGo flight to Bengaluru, the person behind me in the queue is pushing, in order to get ahead.

I tell him, gently, “Hey, my flight is at 8am. I’m waiting.” He taps my shoulder gingerly and says, “Hey, my flight was last night at 8. I’ve been waiting for too long, beta.”

I am wide awake now. Surrounded by hundreds of people trying to get into the airport — most of them with valid tickets and boarding passes — the scene at Chennai Airport resembles a busy, noisy market, filled with chaos and confusion.

The informal message passed along all those in line is: “All IndiGo flights today are cancelled.” (This was confirmed much later in the day by Chennai Airport authorities. The same was the case in New Delhi as well.)

Also Read: IndiGo flight cancellations LIVE updates on December 5, 2025

A group of friends headed to Kochi are wondering whether they should try and book another flight. A big group is enroute to Mumbai to attend a function. An elderly uncle, set to head to New Delhi, is slumped in a chair, wondering where he can go — he has already checked out of his hotel.

“Like life, IndiGo is also uncertain,” someone comments in jest. It should be the aircraft’s next tagline.

There are similar scenes across airports in India today. A journalist friend headed to Chennai on a work trip, waited for more than 10 hours in Mumbai airport… this, after he had checked in his luggage. “My flight kept getting delayed,” he says. “The frustration came from them not telling us how long the wait was going to be. The flight was apparently available at the tarmac but pilots and crew weren’t available. Everyone was tired and hungry.”

After a 10-hour wait, he headed back to his Mumbai residence. He still has no idea here his checked-in luggage is.

I also catch up with a family of three, headed to Coimbatore on a morning flight, who paid for extra luggage just last night. “We watched the news on the cancellations, but did not think it would affect our flight. We are clueless.”

Which brings me to 6Eskai, IndiGo’s AI-enabled chatbot and supposedly “your guide to every travel question ever”. Oblivious to scenes happening on ground, the bot cheerfully continues to send passengers welcome messages. Much to the chagrin of a tired passenger whose flight was just cancelled, 6Eskai texts her even as she waits in queue.

The message reads, “We look forward to welcoming you on board”.