Air travel chaos of ’25: 579 flights cancelled at Nagpur & 2,394 delayed

Nagpur: As many as 579 flights were cancelled and over 2,000 were delayed at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in 2025, highlighting persistent disruptions in air services at the city airport, according to data obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from Mihan India Limited (MIL).MIL is a joint venture between the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which manages the airport.Flight delays have become a near-daily occurrence at the Nagpur airport, triggering frequent passenger complaints. RTI activist Abhay Kolarkar had sought details from MIL on flight operations between January 1 and December 31, 2025, including cancellations, delays, private aircraft and helicopter movements, and flights affected due to bird hits or technical issues.The information furnished shows that 579 flights were cancelled during the year, with IndiGo Airlines accounting for the bulk of them with 493. During the same period, 2,394 arriving flights and 2,404 departing flights were delayed, underscoring the scale of operational disruptions.Concerns over air services are being voiced across the country amid a sharp rise in last-minute cancellations and prolonged delays, and Nagpur is no exception. Recently, of the 35 flights that departed from the airport on a single day, as many as 20 were delayed. On several days, delays affecting 10 to 12 flights have been reported, often leading to passenger anger. Instances of flights being cancelled at the last moment have also increased.The RTI data further reveals that 10 flights were forced to make emergency landings due to technical issues or bird movement, while one flight had to be cancelled for similar reasons in 2025. During the year, the airport also handled 1,611 private aircraft and 332 helicopter movements.BOXRevenue touches Rs 164 crorePassenger traffic at the Nagpur airport remained robust, with 14,78,723 arrivals and 14,58,383 departures recorded during the year, taking the total footfall to 29,37,106. Mihan India Limited earned Rs163.65 crore in revenue, including Rs33.31 crore from landing charges, Rs77.75 lakh from parking fees, and Rs103.6 crore from user development charges. Expenditure on security stood at Rs4.11 crore.