The Centre on Saturday announced two major interventions to contain the escalating IndiGo crisis, after more than a thousand flights were cancelled over just five days, leaving passengers stranded across airports.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has directed IndiGo to complete all pending passenger refunds by 8 pm on December 7, and has barred the airline from levying any rescheduling charges on affected travellers.
IndiGo has been forced to ground aircraft nationwide following disruptions linked to the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. Although the airline withdrew these norms on Friday, it admitted that the changes to pilot rosters led to acute staff shortages. IndiGo has said operations will return to “100 percent normal” only by February 10.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the government has been in continuous dialogue with the airline and is actively working to minimise passenger hardship.
In its formal directive, MoCA ordered IndiGo to:
--Clear all refunds for cancelled or disrupted flights by 8 pm on Sunday, without any delay.
--Waive all rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were hit.
--Trace and deliver all separated baggage within 48 hours to the passenger’s home or preferred location.
--Maintain transparent communication on baggage tracking and compensation as per passenger-rights rules.
The ministry warned that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will attract immediate regulatory action.
With IndiGo cancelling large volumes of flights, fares on key routes such as Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Bengaluru surged to nearly Rs 1 lakh. Taking note of complaints about “unusually high” fares, the Centre has invoked its regulatory powers to cap airfares on affected routes.
Airlines have been ordered to strictly follow the prescribed fare ceilings until the situation stabilises. The objective, MoCA said, is to prevent exploitation of distressed passengers and protect vulnerable groups such as senior citizens, students and medical travellers from steep price spikes.
The ministry added that it will monitor fares in real time in coordination with airlines and online travel platforms, warning that any deviation from the rules will lead to swift corrective action in the public interest.
