Stranded by IndiGo chaos, techie couple attends their own reception virtually in Hubballi

The reception for Medha Kshirsagar from Hubballi and Sangram Das from Bhubaneswar — both software engineers working in Bengaluru- was scheduled for Wednesday at Gujarat Bhavan in Hubballi.

The couple, who married in Bhubaneswar on November 23, had planned a formal celebration in the bride’s hometown.

But the plan collapsed when IndiGo cancelled multiple flights amid a nationwide disruption caused by pilot shortages and new duty-time regulations.

The couple was booked to travel from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru and then onward to Hubballi on December 2.

Instead, they spent nearly 20 hours waiting as their flight was repeatedly delayed, from 9 AM on Tuesday until the early hours of the next morning.

At around 4 AM on December 3, the flight was finally cancelled.

Several relatives travelling via Bhubaneswar–Mumbai–Hubballi routes also saw their flights scrapped.

With guests already seated, rituals arranged, and no possibility of a last-minute cancellation of the event, the bride’s parents took an unusual step: they sat in the couple’s designated seats to perform the ceremonial rituals on their behalf.

Meanwhile, Medha and Sangram, dressed in full wedding attire in Bhubaneswar, appeared at their own reception via video conferencing, smiling and interacting with guests on a large screen.

“We felt very bad… we had invited so many relatives, and it was impossible to cancel the event,” the bride’s mother was quoted as saying by NDTV.

“So after discussing as a family, we decided the couple would join online, and we would broadcast them at the venue.”

The couple’s ordeal unfolded against the backdrop of one of IndiGo’s worst operational breakdowns in its 20-year history. The airline has cancelled hundreds of flights across major airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur and Bhopal.

On Thursday alone, IndiGo cancelled over 500 flights — the most in a single day — citing misjudgment and planning gaps in adapting to the second phase of Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules. The airline has warned of more cancellations until December 8, followed by a reduction in services.

IndiGo operates roughly 2,200 flights a day and has informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation that it expects full operational stability only by February 10 next year.

The carrier has also sought temporary relaxations in pilot duty norms.

As thousands of passengers remain stranded across India, the Hubballi techie couple’s virtual reception has become one of the most striking examples of how the cancellations have upended personal milestones and travel plans.