Synopsis: A two-day Hyderabad-Mumbai business trip turned into a never-ending ordeal for Uday Kiran Mantha as IndiGo’s crew shortage crisis struck. Flights delayed by 7–14 hours, no announcements, no water or hotel, and two full planeloads of passengers competing for one aircraft left thousands stranded. IndiGo cancelled 170+ flights on 4 December amid carrier’s plummeting on-time performance.

What was meant to be a routine, two-day work-trip to Mumbai became a very unproductive and stressful ordeal for Uday Kiran Mantha.

His journey began in Hyderabad on 2 December, with an IndiGo flight to Mumbai scheduled at 8:15 am. “The flight was delayed without any reason which went on for hours,” says Mantha.

He spent many anxious hours at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, clock ticking a

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