During India’s peak wedding season, a significant number of flights operated by IndiGo, one of the nation’s leading airlines, have been cancelled. This has resulted in numerous individuals being stranded at airports and unable to attend their scheduled wedding ceremonies.
IndiGo’s flight operations have been severely impacted due to its alleged unpreparedness to fully implement stringent changes introduced by the Indian government regarding pilot working hours. As the airline commands 60 percent of India’s air travel market, it has been compelled to cancel thousands of flights. In the past 24 hours alone, IndiGo has cancelled over 1,000 trips.
This situation is having a substantial effect on the wedding industry in India, which is a massive sector valued at $130 billion. Families in the country typically spend significant amounts on these ceremonies, which often extend over several days.
As a direct consequence of these flight cancellations, one newly married couple was forced to participate in their own wedding ceremony virtually, unable to attend in person. Another family chartered an expensive flight to ensure that a large number of their members could travel. With people travelling from various parts of India for celebrations, many meticulously planned wedding ceremonies are now being forced into last-minute rescheduling.
Among those stranded at airports due to cancelled flights was Simon Wong, Singapore’s High Commissioner to India. He was scheduled to travel on an IndiGo flight to attend the wedding of a colleague. Following the cancellation of his flight, he too expressed his concern over the prevailing situation.
IndiGo has issued an apology to its customers for the inconvenience caused.
