IndiGo flight cancellations force Bengaluru tech couple to attend own reception virtually

A Bengaluru-based tech couple were forced to attend their own wedding reception virtually after widespread IndiGo flight cancellations disrupted their travel plans, as reported by NDTV. Medha Kshirsagar from Hubballi and Sangama Das from Bhubaneswar, both software engineers working in Bengaluru, married in Bhubaneswar on 23 November and had arranged a formal reception for 3 December at Gujarat Bhavan in Hubballi, where invitations had been sent and preparations completed well in advance.

They were scheduled to fly from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru and onward to Hubballi on 2 December, but their flights were repeatedly delayed from Tuesday morning into early Wednesday before being cancelled outright on 3 December. Several relatives travelling on the Bhubaneswar–Mumbai–Hubballi route experienced similar cancellations, leaving many guests stranded and uncertainty hanging over the celebrations.

A newly wed techie couple forced to attend their own reception online after their Indigo flights from Bhubaneswar-Hubbali were cancelled. The bride’s parents having already invited relatives decided to broadcast their live feed on a big screen. #IndigoDelay #FlightCancellations pic.twitter.com/jO7lTgm8lZ

— Deepak Bopanna (@dpkBopanna) December 5, 2025

With the venue ready and attendees already present, the bride’s parents took charge and conducted the rituals in person while the couple appeared via video call from Bhubaneswar, dressed in their wedding attire. Their participation was broadcast live on a large screen for all guests. The bride’s mother informed NDTV that the family decided to go ahead virtually after realising there was no possibility of last-minute cancellation, and guests later praised the family’s effort to ensure the occasion remained meaningful despite the disruption.

The couple’s predicament occurred amid a wider operational crisis at IndiGo, which has cancelled hundreds of flights across the country this week due to a shortage of pilots and planning challenges linked to the rollout of the second phase of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. On Thursday, the airline cancelled more than 500 flights, marking the highest number of cancellations in its 20-year history, with major airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur and Bhopal all significantly affected and thousands of passengers stranded.