IndiGo crisis: Govt's big crackdown - orders airline to reduce flight operations by 10%

In a major crackdown on Indigo, the central government on Tuesday ordered the airline to cut its flight operations by 10 per cent.

The winter schedule of IndiGo, the country's largest airline, has been further reduced with the government cutting it down by 10%. The decision comes hours after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a 5% cut.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu informed in a social media post that the ministry says IndiGo needs to cut down some of its routes so the airline can stabilise its operations and reduce flight cancellations. 

“The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall Indigo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline’s operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding with it, Indigo will continue to cover all its destinations as before,” said Ram Mohan Naidu.

“IndiGo has been instructed to comply with all the directives of the Ministry, including fare capping and passenger convenience measures without any exception,” he added.

IndiGo refunds

The aviation minister said that IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was summoned to come up with an update and that he has confirmed that 100% of refunds for passengers affected till December 6, 2025 have been completed.

“Today again, @IndiGo6E CEO Pieter Elbers was summoned to the Ministry to provide an update. He confirmed that 100% of the refunds for flights affected till 6th December have been completed. A strict instruction to expedite the completion of the remaining refunds and baggage handover was given,” the aviation minister said on Tuesday.

Why the DGCA cut IndiGo’s winter schedule

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday slashed IndiGo's approved winter schedules by 5 per cent and reallocated these flights to other airlines as the carrier has “not demonstrated an ability to operate” the same (15,014 weekly departures) "efficiently". The DGCA has directed the airline to reduce operations “across sectors, especially on high-demand, high-frequency flights, and to avoid single-flight operations on a sector by IndiGo.”

Starting October 26, the winter schedule saw a 6 per cent increase over IndiGo's summer schedule, which was for operating 14,158 weekly domestic flights. This meant that the airline had approval to operate 64,346 domestic flights in November.

“As per operational data submitted by IndiGo, it (actually operated) 59,438 flights during Nov 2025, with 951 flight cancellations recorded during the month,” the DGCA notice issued to the airline about flight cuts on Monday night said.

IndiGo’s winter flights were increased by the regulator because it expected the airline to have more aircraft available - 403 this winter compared to 351 in the summer. 

“However, it has been observed that the airline could operate only 339 aircraft in Oct 2025 and 344 aircraft in Nov 2025… IndiGo increased its departures by 9.66% in comparison to winter schedule 2024 and by 6% in relation to summer schedule 2025. However, the airline has not demonstrated an ability to operate these schedules efficiently,” the DGCA notice says.

DGCA order on fare caps

Meanwhile, the government has directed other airlines to add more flights to accommodate the extra passenger demand as IndiGo reduces its operations. In another DGCA order, fare caps that had surged amid the IndiGo crisis have also been imposed. Airlines can’t charge more than Rs 7,500 for one-way flights up to 500 km. For routes between 1,000 and 1,500 km - like Delhi to Mumbai - the maximum fare allowed is Rs 15,000.

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