NEW DELHI — Air traffic across India was thrown off course Friday after IndiGo, the country’s dominant carrier, canceled more than 1,000 flights, or over half of its scheduled departures. Passengers were stranded at airports across the country, unable to make their journeys and struggling to understand what was to blame.

Starting on Tuesday, IndiGo began canceling flights at an unusual rate, citing a lack of crew members. Then on Friday, at midday, it canceled every departure from New Delhi Airport, India’s busiest.

In a video statement, Pieter Elbers, IndiGo’s CEO, said that a “reboot” of its systems and schedules resulted in the surge of cancellations on Friday, which was necessary to put the airline back on track starting this weekend.

IndiGo has an undisputed position as India’s big

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