Akash Chauhan rushed to the ‘Lost Property’ counter at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Tuesday. Handing over a white paper to the officials seated inside, he said, “My brother-in-law’s baggage went missing on December 6. He has asked me to collect it.”
A lawyer from Ahmedabad, the 35-year-old said he was sent to multiple counters after being told the luggage had “likely been transferred”. “My brother-in-law was travelling to Ahmedabad from Delhi. His baggage was left behind in the entire [IndiGo] chaos… I have my flight at 8 pm from another terminal, I don’t know what to do.”
“These people do not understand the problem. There is no support and guidance. I have been running from one counter to another… I cannot miss another flight,” he added.
Over a week after India’s aviation sector saw massive disruptions as IndiGo cancelled scores of flights on a daily basis, Delhi’s Airport Terminal 1 was still grappling with luggage left behind amid the chaos.
Several passengers who flew into Delhi have alleged unresponsive helpdesks, and delays in identity verification and baggage release procedures.
On Tuesday, airport staff informed travelers that unclaimed luggage would be held only until 6 pm and the process would take an hour to finish. “From December 11, it will be shifted to Terminal 2,” said a staffer.
Another passenger, Umar Qazi, spent several minutes inside the lost property office, explaining to staff why he did not have his Aadhaar card on him. Qazi, an employee with a US-based company and a resident of Jammu & Kashmir’s Anantnag, was attempting to retrieve his colleague’s misplaced luggage while in transit to Ahmedabad.
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“Her bag contains a laptop and an iPad. All of us work from home. Our work has been hit because of this,” Qazi said.
“I carried my PAN, my Aadhaar is at home… they are not accepting any other ID card,” he added.
By Tuesday evening, the luggage was cleared from Terminal 1. Asked how many passengers had reached the Lost Property counter during the day, staff denied having the information.
For some passengers, their luggage was left in other cities. Nikhil, a Delhi-based engineer, who goes by a single name, said he flew into Delhi from Udaipur.
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“Airport staff have directed me to call the Udaipur office… but all the helpline numbers listed on official websites are non-functional or switched off. Now, there are no staff available at the counters, I don’t even know who to seek help from,” he said.
In a post on X on December 8, IndiGo had said “4,500+ bags were delivered; remaining deliveries to be done within 36 hours”.
The airline, India’s largest with a domestic market share of nearly 65%, faced crew shortages, primarily due to its inadequate preparation for the second phase of the new crew rest and duty norms that took effect on November 1. This led to widespread network-wide disruption in its operations.
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