Why IndiGo International Flights Were Not Cancelled – Internet Shares the Reason

The crisis at IndiGo, India’s largest airline that flies to over 90 domestic and more than 40 international destinations, has now gripped the entire country. On Saturday, over 400 flights were cancelled as the operational chaos entered its fifth day. Amid the confusion, a netizen shared a striking explanation about why IndiGo’s international flights were not cancelled, calling it strategic planning rather than random disruption. To say that their post has since gone viral would be putting it mildly.

Netizen who claims to be Airline Executive explains why IndiGo’s international flights stayed stable while domestic flights ‘took the maximum hit’

A netizen who claims to be an airline executive has gone viral after sharing a detailed explanation on X about the striking difference between IndiGo’s domestic and international operations during the ongoing crisis. Their post has caught massive attention for laying out what they call a clear pattern behind the cancellations.

The user wrote,

“Cancellations weren’t random — they were strategic.”

This line set the tone for their entire argument, where they alleged that the disruption was not accidental but carefully planned.

India Today

They continued,

“International flights were largely protected — estimated to be less than 10% cancellations, mostly on connecting legs — because these routes deliver USD revenue, higher yields, lower fuel uplifting costs, and cancelling overseas flights triggers tougher passenger compensation rules under foreign regulations and reputational issues.”

The context here is that, according to the user, international routes bring in better profits and avoiding compensation penalties makes them more valuable to protect.

The post further stated,

“In short, they shielded profitable high-margin international routes and sacrificed low-margin domestic sectors, creating visible pain for fliers and public pressure — a convenient backdrop to justify a push for FDTL rollback.”

This line implies that the airline may have allowed domestic disruption to grow in order to build pressure around ongoing pilot duty-time regulations.

The user concluded with,

“That’s not random chaos — that’s calculated strategic planning.”

And with that final statement, the debate online intensified, with many now questioning the true nature of the airline’s ongoing crisis.

Have a look at the viral tweet

🔵 cancellations weren’t random — they were strategic.

Domestic flights took the maximum hit.

International flights were largely protected — estimated to be less than 10% cancellations, mostly on connecting legs — because these routes deliver USD revenue, higher yields, lower…

— Griffin (@6ESinger157593) December 4, 2025

Fresh opinions pour in via the comment section as IndiGo’s chaos comes under scrutiny

Many people jumped into the comment section to share their take on the situation, with several agreeing that the pattern behind the cancellations didn’t seem accidental. Some felt the disruption looked planned and aligned with the ongoing discussion around pilot duty rules. . Meanwhile, IndiGo maintained that the chaos was the result of planning gaps during the rollout of the new regulations, not any deliberate strategy.

Aviation expert Sanjay Lazar agreed with the user and said the “entire saga appears contrive.” Have a look at some worth-checking-out comments,

This entire saga appears contrived

— Sanjay Lazar (@sjlazars) December 5, 2025

This is like all superior quality products will be exported and left out is for domestic use.

— V!JJU. (@WithOnlyOption) December 5, 2025

Domestic flyers got the squeeze while high margin international routes stayed protected. Calculated, not careless.

— Snappy Guides (@SnappyGuides) December 5, 2025

Numbers which they don’t want to share:
fleet wise number of captains and first officers.

Because that will strip them naked!

— AWCS (@AeroAwcs) December 4, 2025

Yes this was strategic. Criminal charges should be put on Indigo for this. It’s their way to twist the arm of DGCA. Why weren’t other airlines affected? And that too all of a sudden there was scarcity of crew?

— Rohan Anand (@RohanAnand27) December 4, 2025

@IndiGo6E should realise that business can vanish within few months.

We need more domestic airlines.

They are ripping consumers.@DGCAIndia is as usual is the last one to care.

Shameless

— Truth (@Truth23655971) December 5, 2025

Nope. Because other countries have laws. In EU, if the flight is cancelled by airlines due to maintenance or schedule issue, then they have to provide another one and also have to pay 600 EUR per passenger compulsory. India doesn’t have any law like that. That’s why.

— Chandresh (@Chandre86817434) December 5, 2025

Its so easy to fool Indians.
These aircrafts are doing the compulsary software update for solar flares on the airbus 320.
Been done at the cost of the passenger. Rather than managing it correctly. 80% of indigo fleet is A320.

— Anish Surendran (@surendran_anish) December 5, 2025

That’s what business is about.

— Dinesh s (@Dineshs32767) December 5, 2025

The apology tweet by IndiGo that is not sitting well with the flyers

The last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network and operations. We extend a heartfelt apology to all our customers and industry stakeholders who have been impacted by these events. IndiGo teams are working diligently and making all efforts with the…

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) December 4, 2025

With over 400 flights still being cancelled today, only time will tell how much more chaos is yet to unfold. What are your thoughts on the situation? Do share them in the comments below.