New Delhi, December 6: Passengers faced significant hardship for the fifth consecutive day due to IndiGo flight cancellations or delays. Passengers, including some foreigners, were seen distressed at airports across the country. Over 800 flights were cancelled today. Several flights were delayed, and there were complaints of missing passengers’ luggage.
Amidst the IndiGo crisis, the government has taken a tough stand against other airlines’ fare hikes and has also issued strict instructions to IndiGo regarding refunds to passengers.
Due to crew shortages, IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights on Friday, pushing airfares three to four times higher than normal. IndiGo handles approximately two-thirds of the country’s domestic air traffic and operates approximately 2,300 flights daily.
Meanwhile, IndiGo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Elbers apologized to passengers in a late-night statement for the inconvenience and expressed hope that flight operations would return to normal between December 10 and 15.
Meanwhile, IndiGo stated that, given recent events, refunds for all customer cancellations will be automatically processed through their original payment method. All cancellation/reschedule requests for bookings between December 5 and 15 will be fully waived. IndiGo is making every effort to restore operations across its network. Our teams are focused on rescheduling schedules, minimizing delays, and supporting customers during this time. The number of cancelled flights today has dropped to less than 850, a significant decrease from yesterday. We are working to gradually reduce this number further over the next few days.
Amid the nationwide delays and cancellations of IndiGo flights , the aviation regulator, the DGCA, has helped the troubled IndiGo restore its operations by granting several concessions. This is now helping the airline’s flights return to normal. Amid IndiGo’s flight crisis, airfares skyrocketed, with fares for a Kolkata-Mumbai flight reaching โน90,000. In a crackdown on other airlines charging exorbitant fares, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has set a maximum airfare limit on all affected routes.
The Ministry has issued an official directive to all airlines, ordering them to strictly adhere to the established fare limits. According to the order, airlines cannot charge more than this new limit. This rule will remain in effect until IndiGo’s situation fully improves and flights return to normal.
According to the directive, the maximum fare for up to 500 km is โน7,500, for 500 to 1,000 km it is โน12,000, for 1,000 to 1,500 km it is โน15,000, and for more than 1,500 km it is โน18,000.
Ministry orders on refunds, luggage, and regulations
The Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that refunds for all canceled or delayed flights must be completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday. Airlines will no longer charge any rebooking fees for passengers whose travel plans have been affected by the cancellations. The Ministry warned that any delay in refunds or violations of regulations will result in immediate legal and regulatory action.
The Ministry has instructed IndiGo to trace all luggage lost by passengers due to cancellations or delays and deliver it to their home addresses within 48 hours. If necessary, the airline will also be required to compensate passengers under existing regulations. The Ministry stated that it is ensuring the full protection of passenger rights throughout this crisis. Monitoring and strict measures have been implemented to ensure that senior citizens, the sick, students, and those on essential travel do not face any inconvenience. The Ministry is committed to fully resuming flight operations as soon as possible.
Additional flights by other airlines
Amid the IndiGo crisis, Tata-led airline Air India and its sister airline Air India Express have decided to operate additional flights. The airlines said in a statement on Saturday that the Air India group is considering increasing its capacity to help the affected passengers.