Commercial flights were banned in Iran’s airspace for about 5 hours yesterday (January 14) night. The reason for this was not given, but it is believed to be related to the increasing tension between America and Iran and the ongoing large protests in Iran. Due to this ban, airlines all over the world had to change the routes of flights, due to which there was a lot of wastage of time and fuel.

What is the current situation in Iran’s airspace?

Iran had banned commercial flights last night. Only a few international flights were allowed to pass. Although the airspace has now opened, flights like Flydubai, Turkish Airlines, IndiGo and Air India are being canceled or rerouted. Germany has advised its airlines not to fly into Iran airspace. America already prevents its commercial flights from flying over Iran.

Why is Iran’s airspace so important?

• Iran is located in the Middle East and lies on the main East-West air route from Europe to Asia.
• This is the most direct route, which saves both time and fuel for flights.
• If airlines do not fly over Iran, they have to go north via the Caspian Sea or south via Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
• Due to this, the flight takes several hours and the cost of fuel increases a lot.
• This may also increase ticket prices and lead to schedule delays or cancellations.

Airlines alert after 2020 mistake

Iran’s airspace is very special for the world’s aviation, but due to security fears and the incident of 2020, airlines are cautious. On January 8, 2020, Iranian air defense fired two surface-to-air missiles minutes after takeoff from Tehran airport. These missiles hit Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 (Boeing 737-800), killing all 176 people (passengers and crew).

Iran initially denied it for several days and called it Western propaganda, but later admitted that it was ‘human error’. The plane was considered an enemy target. America-Iran tension was very high at that time. Due to this accident, fear over Iran’s airspace increased across the world and many countries advised to avoid flights from there.

How much has the demonstration increased in Iran?

Major protests are continuing in Iran that started in December 2025. According to NGO reports, more than 3,400 people have been killed. America has warned of military action against Iran. US President Donald Trump said that ‘the killing has stopped and there will be no executions, but we will see more process.’ Trump told the protesters that ‘help is on the way.’ The American USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is moving from the South China Sea towards the Middle East, which has further increased the tension. It has been advised to evacuate some personnel at the American base in Qatar.

Flight Delays: The effect of winter has increased significantly across the country and along with it dense fog, severe cold and low visibility have also come. The Meteorological Department has warned that the same conditions are likely to persist for the next few days. Flights are being delayed, canceled and even rescheduled. Let us know where air travel has slowed down.

Delhi was most affected

Most problems are being seen at Indira Gandhi International Airport. On December 21, due to dense fog and low visibility, about 110 flights were canceled and more than 370 flights were delayed. Along with this, the same situation remained on 22 December also. More than 150 flights were late in the morning.

Impact outside the capital also

This problem was not limited to Delhi only. Flights to and from Amritsar, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Srinagar and Chennai were also affected due to bad weather. Let us tell you that the effect of fog is more severe in the northern areas, whereas in the southern cities, there are delays due to delay in aircraft rotation and congestion at major hubs.

Flights stopped in Srinagar due to snowfall

Due to bad weather and snowfall at Srinagar Airport, many flights were canceled directly. Mountainous weather conditions and low visibility sometimes make operations unsafe. This is the reason why airlines have to temporarily suspend services.

Meanwhile, Indigo has also canceled flights on many routes. Airlines also issued a travel advisory urging passengers to check real-time flight status before going to the airport. Along with this, Air India has also started its seasonal fog care initiative. Under this policy, passengers affected by fog related problems can reschedule or cancel their flights without any extra fees.

advice for travelers

Passengers are being advised to check flight status before leaving home, reach the airport on time and also keep in mind road delays due to fog.

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Indigo Flight Canceled Refund: In the last few days, the news of Indigo flight cancellations and delays increased so rapidly that thousands of passengers got worried. Complaints started coming continuously on social media that even after cancellation, refunds were not being received on time. Seeing the situation worsening, the Civil Aviation Ministry itself intervened and gave clear instructions to the airline that all pending refunds should be processed immediately.

The ministry has given a deadline to the airlines that every pending refund should be cleared by 8 pm on December 7, 2025. Otherwise immediate action will be taken. If you have not yet received your refund after flight cancellation, then know where you can complain.

If there is a delay in refund then you can complain like this

If your IndiGo flight has been canceled and the refund has not yet been received. So filing a complaint is now easier than before. First of all go to the official website of the airline. Where the option of complaints related to refund has been given in the Customer Support section. Here you can upload your PNR, mobile number and other details. Apart from this, AirSewa app and portal of Civil Aviation Ministry is also available to take complaints immediately.

As soon as a complaint is registered on this platform, you get a tracking number, through which you can check updates at every stage. The Ministry has clearly told IndiGo that no passenger should have to call or mail repeatedly for follow-up. Once the complaint is filed, processing should begin and refund should be issued as soon as possible.

Refund Facilitation Cell ready

To resolve the complaints related to refunds and to bring the situation under control and to end the problems of the people quickly, the Ministry has ordered IndiGo to create a special Passenger Support and Refund Facilitation Cell. This cell will directly contact those passengers whose flights have been canceled or disturbed. So that they do not have to ask for updates by mail or call every other day.

The ministry has said that until the airline completely normalizes its operations. Till then the automatic refund system should not be stopped. Nausea as soon as a flight is cancelled. Refunds will start immediately without any requests. This change is a big relief for the passengers because till now the biggest complaint was that one has to follow up again and again for refund.

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People are worried for the fifth consecutive day due to the cancellation of flights of Indigo Airline, which is facing shortage of crew members. There is chaos at the airport. Troubled passengers created a ruckus at many places. There are piles of suitcases lying at the airport. People have not received the goods for 3 to 4 days. People waiting for the flight spent the night on the ground. However, in the meantime the passengers have also received good news. Indigo Airlines linked to crisis 10 big things…

1. Claim of restoration of 95% of Indigo flights
On Saturday, there was relief in the operational crisis that was going on in Indigo for the last four days. The airline claimed that flights have started on 95% of its routes. Flights left for 135 out of 138 destinations. The company says that on Saturday they have taken 1500 flights to their destinations.

2. Flight cancellations reduced
On December 6, IndiGo issued a statement saying that it is continuously working to normalize its flights. Cancellation is gradually improving. Today less than 850 flights were cancelled. This is much less than yesterday. More than 1000 flights were canceled on 5 December.

3. Central government fixed air fares
The central government has fixed the airfare for all airlines. Now the fare for air travel up to 500 kilometers will be Rs 7,500. Whereas for 500-1000 kilometers it will be Rs 12,000, for 1000-1500 kilometers it will be Rs 15,000 and above 1500 kilometers it will be maximum Rs 18,000. However, business class is not included in this.

4. Ticket money will be refunded within 48 hours
The Civil Aviation Ministry gave strict instructions to IndiGo to complete the ticket refund process for the passengers affected by the disruption in flights by 8 pm on Sunday night. The airline should ensure that all the luggage separated from the passengers due to flight cancellation is delivered within the next 48 hours. If this does not happen, further investigation and punitive action can be taken. Apart from this, the ministry has started a 24×7 helpline and has ordered the passengers to make arrangements for hotels, food and alternative transportation.

5. ixigo will refund the money for Indigo flights tickets
ixigo issued a statement on Saturday saying, ‘We understand how stressful flight cancellations can be. To support distressed passengers during these difficult times, ixigo will refund the full convenience fee and assured charges for all our customers whose IndiGo flights were canceled by the airline between December 3 and 8.

6. Kicking and punching between passengers and crew at airports
The anger of the troubled passengers erupted at the airport for 3-4 days. Passengers clashed among themselves over a dispute over standing in line at Lucknow airport. One passenger kicked and punched another passenger. Passengers in Mumbai were seen upset due to flight interruptions and cancellations. Passengers spent the night on the floor at Ahmedabad airport.

7. Because of Indigo, Railways started 84 special trains.
Considering the problems of passengers, Indian Railways on December 6 announced to run 84 special trains. The Railway Ministry said that these special services, which will make a total of 104 trips, have been rapidly prepared on major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna and Howrah. Now thousands of passengers will get a major alternative route.

8. Center gave relief to Indigo Airlines
The central government had come on the backfoot on Friday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) gave temporary relief to airlines, especially IndiGo, till 10 February 2026. The decision of not giving any leave in lieu of weekly rest was withdrawn. Indigo claims that due to this rule there was a shortage of pilots and other staff and the entire operation was affected. It will take time to fix it. DGCA had implemented the second phase of Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) from November 1, rules related to the work of pilots and other crew members. The first phase came into effect on 1 July.

9. Being the most plain becomes a problem
Indigo operates about 2,300 domestic and international flights daily. This number is almost double the number of flights operated by Air India in a day. On such a large scale, if even 10–20 percent of flights are delayed or cancelled, it means 200–400 flights being affected. Huge difficulties arise for thousands of passengers. Its 1232 flights were canceled in November.

10. Congress targeted the government and sought answers.
In a press conference in New Delhi, Congress MP Shashikant Senthil accused the government of not taking concrete steps to deal with it. Senthil said, ‘This situation has been happening for the last one and a half years. The new rules of DGCA were first notified in January 2024. Airlines have not had sufficient time to adapt to these guidelines and we believe this is important.

Due to continuous cancellation of Indigo flights, the condition of people traveling across the country has become worse. In the last four days, more than three lakh passengers are stranded at the airport. Some are not able to reach their homes, some are missing events and meetings. There is an atmosphere of waiting and tension everywhere.

‘Santosh Kumar Nahar’s two month old show cancelled’
Well-known violin artist of Hindustani classical music, Santosh Kumar Nahar is also very troubled by this crisis. His show in Agartala was booked two months ago. He was supposed to fly on December 5, but the flight got canceled on the same day. Today i.e. on Saturday he booked a new ticket. Everything appeared to be updated in the system, but as soon as they reached the airport, they got another shock when they came to know that today’s flights were also cancelled.

Santosh says, ‘I requested Indigo to send me via Guwahati or Kolkata, but these people are unable. Tickets are not available before 8th December, now when we have to go today, what is the use of tickets for 8th? He has also requested for refund at the counter, but he does not know when he will get the money. Apart from them, many people are also waiting at the airport to go to Agartala.

‘Malini Awasthi is also worried’
Earlier, folk singer Malini Awasthi had also struggled with the same problem. By sharing the video he had said, ‘Indigo is very sad.’ He said that it is a big responsibility for every artist to reach the event on time, but the canceled flights of Indigo have created chaos from Kolkata to Mumbai. Tickets of other airlines are also available at such expensive prices that people are forced to buy them.

‘More than 2000 flights cancelled, chaos at airport’
Indigo has canceled more than 2000 flights so far. Long lines, worried faces and people’s restlessness to reach their destination are clearly visible at the airports. Many people’s events, meetings and family plans have been spoiled due to this sudden crisis.

After the cancellation of flights of IndiGo and many other airlines across the country, lakhs of passengers suddenly flocked to the Railways. In view of the increasing crowd and huge demand for tickets, Indian Railways has taken immediate action. From December 6, 2025, Railways has implemented the decision to install additional coaches and run additional trips on many routes. Due to this, passengers have started getting huge relief.

The biggest impact of flight cancellations was seen in South India, where the Railways made special preparations to increase capacity. Southern Railway has installed new coaches in 18 trains. Additional seats were made available to passengers by increasing the number of sleeper and chair cars on many popular routes. Due to this, travel to cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram has started becoming smooth again.

Northern Railway reduces congestion on Delhi route

Due to the highest number of passengers traveling to and from Delhi, Northern Railway installed additional AC and chair cars in 8 main trains. This change has been implemented with immediate effect. Due to this, passengers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are getting special relief.

Big initiative of Western Railway on Delhi-Mumbai route

Due to cancellation of flights, travel between Delhi and Mumbai had become very difficult. Keeping this in view, Western Railways has added 3AC and 2AC coaches in 4 major trains. After the implementation of the new system from December 6, thousands of passengers have started getting seats on this busy route.

Relief on Bihar-Delhi route too, ECR increased AC seats

East Central Railway has taken special steps for the passengers going from Patna to Delhi. Five additional trips are being run in Rajendra Nagar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express from 6 to 10 December. Along with this, the number of 2AC coaches in the train has also been increased, due to which the pressure on the seats on Patna-Delhi route has been reduced the most.

East Coast, Eastern and NFR also increased capacity

For passengers going from Odisha to Delhi, East Coast Railway has added 2AC coaches in trains number 20817, 20811 and 20823 in 5 trips. On the other hand, Eastern Railway has increased sleeper coaches in three main trains on 7th and 8th December. For North-East passengers, Northeast Frontier Railway has made a big increase in 3AC and sleeper seats with eight additional trips between December 6 and 13.

Railways also ran four special trains

To rescue stranded passengers and make long distance travel easier, Railways has run 4 special trains. These include Gorakhpur–Anand Vihar Special, New Delhi–Mumbai Central Special, Vande Bharat Special for New Delhi–Srinagar region and Hazrat Nizamuddin–Thiruvananthapuram Special. Many trains were one-way, whose purpose was only to provide relief to the passengers.

Why was this decision of Railways necessary?

After the cancellation of flights, the way the demand for tickets suddenly increased manifold, people in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Patna got worried. At such a time, this step of the Railways has proved to be very important, because the availability of thousands of additional seats provided a safe option to the passengers.

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India’s largest airline IndiGo, which flies more than 1 crore passengers every month, is going through its worst phase for the last 10-12 days. In the beginning of December suddenly 400-600 flights started getting canceled every day. There was uproar at big airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Indore. People stood in queues for hours, ticket prices doubled and tripled and anger erupted on social media. The question in everyone’s mind is what is happening with Indigo?

Government has taken 7 major actions so far in Indigo case

1. On 4 December 2025, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu held a major review meeting. This included senior management of MoCA, DGCA, AAI and Indigo. The minister said that passenger facilities should be taken full care of and the situation should be brought back to normal immediately.
2. Understanding the operational problems of IndiGo, DGCA gave a one-time relaxation, which will provide flexibility in some FDTL rules till 10 February 2026. DGCA will review this exemption every 15 days and will take continuous improvement reports from IndiGo. Especially on crew shortage and hiring.
3. DGCA has appealed to all pilot associations to extend full support to IndiGo in view of the huge demand during winter vacation and wedding season.
4. DGCA gave further relief to IndiGo by allowing pilots who were currently engaged in training or other work to be sent for flying duty. Currently, 12 FOIs (DGCA officers who are themselves on deputation from IndiGo) have also been allowed to fly for a week.
5. 12 licensed FOIs of IndiGo, who have less seniority, have been relieved from flying duty by DGCA. So that they can help in the investigation and inspection of DGCA.
6. DGCA has also deployed its team in IndiGo’s control center, which is monitoring the flights in real time. Especially on delays, cancellations and passenger convenience.
7. DGCA has formed a four-member inquiry committee, which will find out why such a major operational lapse took place in IndiGo. The committee will also decide who had what responsibility and how effective the measures for further improvement are.

There was a mess due to the new rules of the government
The new pilot duty rules (FDTL Phase-2) of the Central Government came into force and IndiGo was not at all prepared for it. The Pilot Union filed a petition in the Delhi High Court in January 2024. In this, the issue of flight safety was raised due to excessive working hours and fatigue of pilots. After the order of the High Court, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) made changes in the Flight Duty Time Limitation i.e. FDTL rules. These rules were to be implemented in two parts.

On July 1, 2025, Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules were implemented to give rest to the pilots. Under this, it was made mandatory for airline companies to give pilots 48 hours of rest instead of 36 hours a week, i.e. two days weekly rest. During this period, there was a ban on counting any holiday as weekly rest. The objective was very good that the less tired the pilot is, the safer the flight will be. But these rules reduced the availability of pilots by 15-20%.

In the second phase of FDTL, from November 1, DGCA had also banned continuous night shifts of pilots and other crew members.

• Earlier, rest was available for 36 hours in a week, now 48 hours is mandatory. This means each pilot can fly about one day less in a week.
• Night duty was earlier considered to be from 12 noon to 5 am, now till 6 am. That means one more hour more.
• A pilot can do only 2 night landings in a week, earlier there was a relaxation of up to 6.
• Night duty cannot be done for more than two consecutive nights.
• The most dangerous rule was that if the flight went on for even 1 minute after 12 o’clock in the night, then the entire duty was considered as night duty and the pilot would not be able to fly 1-2 flights in the morning the next day.

This meant only one thing: a pilot is no longer able to fly as many flights as he could before.

1700 flights canceled in last 4 days
In the DGCA meeting, IndiGo itself admitted that it had miscalculated the actual need of pilots. Made a mistake in assuming that crew availability will reduce after the implementation of the new rules. There were delays and shortcomings in making the roster and preparations for Phase-2 were incomplete. After the introduction of new rules, Indigo could not overcome the shortage of pilots and other staff and in the last 4 days Indigo canceled more than 1700 flights.

Maximum 225 flights have been canceled in Delhi. 32 flights were canceled in Pune. 197 flights were canceled at Hyderabad Airport in 3 days, while 155 flights were canceled at Shamshabad Airport. Bengaluru: 102 flights have been cancelled.

The new rules have the biggest impact on Indigo.

The entire business model of IndiGo is based on more flights, lower prices and faster turnout. More than 70% of its flights operate at night or till late night. There are frequent flights on short routes. When the new rules came, there was a sudden shortage of pilots.

The biggest mistake was that despite getting 18-20 months time, IndiGo did not increase the number of pilots as per the new rules. Rest of the airlines like Air India, Vistara and Akasa Air had already recruited pilots. Indigo could not manage this change.

As a result, hundreds of flights were canceled every day from the last week of November to the first week of December. Thousands of passengers remained stranded at the airport hungry and thirsty for 24 hours. Flight fares have skyrocketed. The company’s shares fell by 10-12% in the stock market.

The government found a middle solution
DGCA had to bow down due to severe problems of passengers and fear of collapse of the entire aviation system. Giving immediate relief on 5 December 2025, it was announced that now if the flight leaves even a little after 12 midnight, it will not be considered as full night duty. This means that the pilot will be able to fly the morning flight the next day comfortably. The decision of not giving any leave in lieu of weekly rest was withdrawn. The Civil Aviation Minister has directed all the airlines to give full refund in case of flight cancellation. Also, the stranded people have been asked to make proper arrangements to stay in hotels.

But this exemption was not given for free. DGCA has kept strict vigil on Indigo-

• Every 15 days, a complete report will have to be given as to how many pilots were increased and how the roster was corrected.
• Within 30 days, a complete roadmap will have to be given as to how the new rules will be followed 100% by 10 February 2026.
• There will not be even an inch of relaxation in all other safety related rules.

Then what will happen next?
Indigo has apologized and said that most of the flights will become normal by 10-15 December and everything will be completely fine by January. The company is now rapidly hiring pilots and changing the rostering system. But this whole matter has given a big lesson that aviation in India is growing so fast that only one company has more than 60% of the market. If it falters, the entire aviation system falters. Now the government and other airlines have also understood that thousands of new pilots and hundreds of new aircraft are needed in the next 5 years, otherwise such crises will occur again and again.

Super Typhoon Ragasa has now turned to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southern China after causing havoc in the Philippines. The Hong Kong administration has issued an alert and canceled more than 700 flights. Officials say that there can be a huge disruption in the city from 6 pm today. So far, three people have died due to Ragasa in the Philippines, while thousands of people have been taken to safe places.

Storm speed and position

According to the National Meteorological Department of the Philippines, till 8 pm on Monday night, the maximum permanent speed of the storm was reaching 215 km/h and the speed of the gusts to 265 km/h. The storm is likely to be active with all its strength for the next 24 hours. After that it can be slightly weak near the coastal areas of China.

Philippines (province of Kagaya):

• Calayan Island and surrounding areas heavy floods, landslides and damage to homes and infrastructure.
• 8,200+ people were sent to safe places.

Taiwan:

• Heavy rains and stormy waves in coastal and hilly areas.
• Flights and boating services canceled.

Southern China / Hong Kong:

• Warning of fierce weather in coastal areas.
• School and business closed, instructions to go to safe places.
• Order to send about 4 lakh people to safe places in Shenzen.

Evaculation and safety measures

• Kagaya province: 8,200+ people in safe places.
• Apaya Province: 1,200+ people in emergency shelter.
• Hong Kong: 700+ flights canceled, government offices and schools closed.

Possible threats and warnings

• Storm Serge: 3 meters or higher storm waves in coastal areas.
• Landslides and floods: Risk in many areas due to heavy rains.
• Traffic and services obstruct: flights, road traffic and boat services obstruction.

Way ahead?

Ragasa is now moving towards South China C. It can affect the coastal areas of southern China, such as Guangdong province, through the southern parts of Taiwan and Hong Kong. There is a possibility of landfall between Shenzhen and Xuwen.

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‘Let us torture and sometimes burnt bodies …’ Sindhi leader opened Pakistan government’s pole, will be discussed in UNGA?

Flight cancellation refund rules: The armed forces of India have carried out air strikes on terrorist bases settled in Pakistan today i.e. on 7 May. The Indian armed forces have avenged the gruesome terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir on 22 April. Operation was verified for this. In which 9 terrorist bases have been destroyed. After this operation of the Indian Armed Forces, there has been a panic in Pakistan.

In view of this, the Government of India has closed 9 airports in the country. That is, flights have been banned from these airports. Due to which many flights have also been canceled. If it also includes your flight. So will you get a refund or not. Know what is the rule.

In a situation like war, flight cancell will be refunded?

Let me tell you if a situation like war is formed. And the flight is canceled. So in such a situation, refund can be found. Explain that flights have been stopped at about 9 airports in the country. Due to which many flights have been canceled. If your flight is also included in it. Then you are entitled to refund. According to the rules, you should get complete refund without any cancellation charge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaamcvp2_5g

Because this decision has been taken by the airline. According to the rules of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, if the flight of the airline mistakes is canceled. Then in such a situation the passenger gets the entire money back. However, you need to call the airline helpline and get information.

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What will be its process?

If your flight is canceled, then you have to go to the airline website or app. There you have to check cancel flights and refund status. And you do not see the status of refund there. Then you should call the customer care and get information.

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And you have booked tickets from a third party site. So for refund you have to contact there. But if the airline refuses to give you a refund. Then you can complain about it by visiting DGCA’s official website https://www.dgca.gov.in/digigov- portal/.

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