Chaos erupts at Indian airports as country's largest airline cancels flights

NEW DELHI (AP) — Chaos gripped major Indian airports Friday as passengers of the country’s biggest airline, IndiGo, scrambled to cope up with widespread flight disruptions and cancellations triggered by newly enforced rules limiting working hours for crew and pilots.

Scenes of frustration played out as passengers slept on airport floors, queued for hours at customer service counters and waited without clear communication from the airline.

Friday was the fourth straight day of disruptions as the low cost carrier struggles with new regulations that mandate longer rest periods and limit night flying hours to address concerns about fatigue and safety.

The first phase of the rules came into effect in July while the second phase kicked in November. IndiGo struggled to adapt its rosters in time, resulting in widespread cancellations and disruptions.

On Thursday, more than 300 IndiGo flights were grounded while several hundreds delayed. A passenger advisory from the Delhi airport Friday stated that all domestic IndiGo flights will remain cancelled until midnight. Other major airlines, including Air India, have not faced similar issues so far.

IndiGo operates around 2,300 flights daily and controls nearly 65% of India’s domestic aviation market.

Senior citizen Sajal Bose was scheduled to travel with his wife Senjuti Bose early Friday from Kolkata to New Delhi to attend a friend’s silver jubilee celebration. His flight was cancelled an hour before the scheduled take off.

Bose told The Associated Press he was now taking a nine-hour train ride to the city Bagdogra, where he plans to get a flight to New Delhi on another airline. “Its very irresponsible and complete negligence. Very difficult for older people like us,” he said.

In an internal email to employees this week, seen by The Associated Press, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers apologized, and cited technology glitches, schedule changes, adverse weather conditions, heightened congestion and the implementation of the new rules as the reasons for flight disruptions.

The Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement that the disruptions arose primarily through misjudgment and planning gaps as the airline implemented phase two of the new rules, and that the airline acknowledged that the effect on crew strength exceeded their expectations.

IndiGo has sought temporary exemptions in implementing the new rules and told the government that corrective measures were underway. It has indicated the operations will be fully restored by Feb. 10.

More cancellations are expected in the next couple of weeks, and the airline said it would reduce its flight operations from Dec. 8 to minimize disruptions.

Associated Press videojournalist Piyush Nagpal in New Delhi contributed to this report.

An airport official walks near a runway at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi as several Indigo Airlines flights were cancelled or delayed, India, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Three Indigo Airlines planes are seen through a glass window at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi as several flights operated by the carrier were either cancelled or delayed, India, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Two Indigo Airlines planes are seen through a glass window at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi as several flights operated by the carrier were either cancelled or delayed, India, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Passengers wait outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India, as several Indigo Airlines flights were either cancelled or delayed, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former South African President Jacob Zuma and his co-accused, the French arms manufacturer Thales, returned to court on Thursday to appeal for the dismissal of the long-running corruption case against them.

Zuma, one of the key figures of the South African liberation struggle who served as president from 2009 to 2018, is accused of corruption in connection with an arms transaction in 1999.

Here's what to know about the case:

Zuma faces 18 charges, including corruption, fraud, and money laundering, linked to 783 alleged illegal payments he received from Thales (formerly Thomson-CSF) and business owner Schabir Shaik.

Zuma has denied every indictment, saying the accusations are part of a “witch hunt” with political motivations. He is currently fighting to have the charges dropped after pleading not guilty.

The case has been ongoing for nearly two decades, facing multiple delays including legal challenges by Zuma’s team, which has repeatedly appealed and challenged the charges.

In a potentially groundbreaking development, the National Prosecuting Authority is arguing before Judge Nkosinathi Emmanuel Chili this week that Zuma and Thales should be blocked from using appeals to further delay the trial.

“Our problem is that this strategy has delayed the case for 18 years,” prosecutor Wim Trengove told the court on Thursday. “Mr. Zuma has over the years run eight different interlocutory applications and Thales has been part of four. They have between them delayed the hearing for more than 18 years. All those applications have been dismissed.”

The ex-president's lawyers have questioned lead prosecutor Billy Downer’s impartiality, leading to additional delays. The former president’s ill health has further stalled the case.

Zuma’s defense attorneys have also contended that without the testimony of two crucial Thales executives in the case — former directors Pierre Moynot and Alain Thetard, who died in 2020 and 2022 — they won’t be able to mount a meaningful defense.

Zuma was found in contempt of court by the South African Constitutional Court in 2021 in a separate case. He received a 15-month prison sentence for refusing to testify before the Zondo committee, a judicial commission investigating allegations of corruption during the time Zuma was president.

Zuma surrendered himself to police in July 2021 and was taken to the Estcourt Correctional Center in KwaZulu-Natal province. He was then released on medical parole, but the parole was ruled to be unlawful, and he was ordered back to prison. He was later released from prison after his sentence was commuted.

In October this year, the former president was ordered to pay back $1.6 million (R28.9 million) in legal fees that were unlawfully funded by the state for his personal corruption case defense. The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled that Zuma must also pay interest on the amount.

Zuma has since been attempting to appeal the judgment for legal fees, claiming he’s not liable.

This story has been corrected to show that Zuma became president in 2009 not 2008.

AP Africa coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

FILE - Former president Jacob Zuma is seen at the Results Operation Center in Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)