S'pore High Commissioner to India misses staff's wedding after India airline cancels 2,000 flights due to pilot shortage

Mass flight cancellations by India's largest domestic carrier, IndiGo led to Simon Wong, Singapore's High Commissioner to India being unable to attend a staffer's wedding in person.

Taking to X on Dec. 5, Wong expressed his sincere apologies to the couple, writing that he was "lost for words" over the IndiGo flight cancellations.

"I joined the tens of thousands of passengers stranded by IndiGo."

He was scheduled to fly from Delhi, India's capital to Deoghar, a holy city in Jharkhand for his staff's shaadi.

I joined the tens of thousands of passengers stranded by #Indigo. My flight to #Deoghar has been cancelled. My sincere apologies to my young staff waiting for me to attend his #shaadi. Lost for words.🤦‍♂️ HC Wong. pic.twitter.com/c9rqATdOdQ

— Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) December 5, 2025

Attended wedding virtually

Wong's post included a screenshot of the flight cancellation notification and a picture from his staff's wedding.

He attended the wedding virtually on his phone, posting pictures in traditional Indian dress.

In a second X update on Dec. 6, Wong wrote "Distance may divide us... but Spirit shaadi will unite us", and tagged #IndiGoChaos in the post.

He congratulated the couple on their union and attached photos of the occasion.

Distance may divide us #IndiGoChaos, but Spirit #shaadi will unite us. Beta, congratulations and may your marriage be a happy and blessed one. 🥳HC Wong pic.twitter.com/XKrIIdSRsj

— Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) December 5, 2025

Mass flight cancellations

IndiGo scrapped more than 1,000 flights in a major operational collapse on Dec. 5, 2025, reported The Times of India.

Business Times places the total affected flights at about 2,000.

The disruption exposed major planning shortcomings as the airline failed to prepare for the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms.

The FDTL revisions issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had aimed to address pilot fatigue through rostering and rest allocation.

According to experts cited by The Times of India, IndiGo had ignored the FDTL regulations for a year.

This had led to mass cancellations and delays due to their non-compliance on new rules for pilots.

IndiGo aims to restore its network by Dec. 10.

Top photos from SGinIndia/X and Rudraksha Banjhal/Unsplash.