After five days of flight cancellations and delays, IndiGo operated over 1,500 flights on Sunday as DGCA issued a notice to its CEO. The civil aviation ministry imposed refund deadlines and fare caps. Passengers remain affected, but 95% of the network has been restored.
IndiGo airline faced a severe operational crisis over the past five days due to the implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms, leading to over 2,000 flight cancellations since Tuesday and thousands of passengers stranded. On Saturday, 106 flights were canceled at Delhi's IGI Airport, with passengers also affected in Mumbai. The DGCA issued a show cause notice to CEO Pieter Elbers and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras, demanding a response within 24 hours, alleging lapses in planning, oversight, and resource management.
In a statement, IndiGo said it operated over 700 flights on Friday, connecting 113 destinations, as part of a network reboot. On Sunday, over 1,500 flights are operating to 135 out of 138 destinations, with 95% connectivity restored. The airline apologized to passengers: "We understand that we have a long way to go, but we are fully committed to rebuilding the trust of our customers."
The Ministry of Civil Aviation directed IndiGo to process all refunds for canceled flights by 8 pm on December 7 and return separated baggage within two days. Fare caps were imposed: Rs 7,500 for up to 500 km, Rs 12,000 for 500-1,000 km, Rs 15,000 for 1,000-1,500 km, and Rs 18,000 for over 1,500 km. DGCA granted temporary exemptions from FDTL rules, including lifting night landing limits. Minister Ram Mohan Naidu held a meeting with the CEO. Passengers like Shubham Panda complained that ticket prices surged from Rs 27,000 to Rs 2 lakh.