A strange and unexpected scene played out in Karnataka’s Hubballi, where a newly married couple had to attend their own wedding reception through a video call. Their travel plans collapsed after IndiGo cancelled several flights across the country.

The reception was planned for Medha Kshirsagar from Hubballi and Sangama Das from Bhubaneswar. Both are software engineers working in Bengaluru. The event was arranged at Gujarat Bhavan in Hubballi.

The two got married on November 23 in Bhubaneswar. Their formal reception was set for Wednesday in the bride’s hometown. But things took a turn when IndiGo cancelled multiple flights because of a shortage of pilots.

The bride and groom had booked tickets from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru and then to Hubballi for December 2. But their flights kept getting delayed from 9 am on Tuesday until early morning the next day. Finally, the flight was cancelled on December 3.

Relatives flying through other routes, like Bhubaneswar–Mumbai–Hubballi, also faced flight cancellations.

With guests already gathered and everything ready at the venue, the bride’s parents decided to take charge. They sat in the seats meant for the couple and carried out the rituals. Meanwhile, the bride and groom, dressed up and ready in Bhubaneswar, joined the function through a live video call.

“The wedding took place on November 23, and we had planned the reception for December 3. But suddenly, at 4 am, the flight was cancelled. We were still hopeful that they might make it, but they couldn't,” said the bride’s mother.

“We felt very bad that we had invited so many relatives, and it was impossible to cancel the event at the last minute. So, after discussing as a family, we decided to have the couple attend the reception online and broadcast their participation on the screen,” she added.

Why IndiGo is cancelling so many flights

IndiGo has cancelled hundreds of flights this week after not adjusting its schedule properly to the new government rules. This has caused chaos at major airports, including Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and others. Thousands of passengers have been left stuck.

On Thursday, the airline, India’s largest, running around 2,200 flights a day, cancelled more than 500 flights. This is the highest single-day cancellation in its 20-year history.

IndiGo told aviation regulator DGCA that it expects things to return to normal by February 10 next year. It has also asked for temporary relaxation in flight-duty rules for pilots.

The airline admitted that these disruptions are happening because of “misjudgment and planning gaps” while shifting to the second phase of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. IndiGo also warned the DGCA that more cancellations will continue until December 8, and services will be reduced after that date.