Budget airline IndiGo canceled about 1,000 flights on Friday, including all departures from New Delhi, India's capital.

It was the fourth day of cancellations after the low-cost carrier failed to plan for new government regulations requiring longer rest periods for employees and limiting night flying hours for greater safety.

As a result, the airline, which controls over 60% of India's domestic market, has been struggling with a shortage of pilots.

Late on Friday, India's Aviation Ministry paused its new policy of weekly rest for pilots.

"Flight schedules will begin to stabilise and return to normal by tomorrow," Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said. 

The company apologized to passengers and acknowledged "a serious operational crisis."

What IndiGo flights have been canceled?

Delhi airport announced that all IndiGo departures, believed to total 235, were canceled on Friday.

Chennai airport also said all of its IndiGo flights to other large cities were canceled up to 6 p.m. on Friday.

Other major hubs reported widespread cancellations, with 104 flights grounded in Mumbai, 102 in Bengaluru, and 92 in Hyderabad.

A temporary exemption from stricter night-duty limits was granted on Friday, offering some short-term breathing room. The Civil Aviation Ministry said the airline underestimated the impact of the new rules on pilot availability. 

Other carriers have not reported similar problems, and shares in the low-cost carrier dropped nearly 3% on Friday as part of a weekly slump of 10.3%.

Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers have demanded a discussion in parliament as travelers continue to face significant delays.

What is the impact of the IndiGo cancellations?

The low-cost carrier operates roughly two-thirds of India's domestic flights and has warned that normal operations will not be restored until February 10. IndiGo said the shortages stem from planning gaps as it attempted to implement the second phase of the new duty rules.

Authorities granted the airline temporary exemptions from some rules until February, but mandatory rest periods remain in place.

Passengers were stranded at major airports, waiting for hours with little information. Some slept on terminal floors. The scenes were tense, with reports of arguments and chants of frustration at Bengaluru airport.

Couple joins their own wedding reception by video link after IndiGo cancels their flight

Amid the chaos, one story went viral: a couple was forced to join their wedding reception in the southern state of Karnataka by video link after widespread IndiGo flight cancellations left them stranded in the eastern city of Bhubaneswar.

The couple had booked tickets from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru and onward to Karnataka's Hubballi for their reception in the bride's hometown. With their flight delayed repeatedly from Tuesday morning and ultimately canceled, the bride and groom dressed for the event and joined the reception remotely.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar