IndiGo’s operational crisis entered its sixth day, with over 150 flights cancelled on Sunday and more than 2,000 flights affected since Tuesday.
The DGCA issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo’s CEO over the large-scale disruptions, calling it the worst aviation crisis in years.
The civil aviation ministry ordered the airline to clear all pending refunds by December 7 and imposed fare caps as airfares spiked amid widespread cancellations.
Over 150 Flights Cancelled On Sunday; DGCA Steps In; IndiGo Says Doing Everything Possible
With airfares surging sharply on domestic routes as stranded passengers scrambled for alternatives, the ministry also imposed fare caps to control prices and ensure availability.
Summary
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, continued to face severe operational disruptions for the sixth consecutive day, forcing the cancellation of more than 150 flights on Sunday alone. The airline said it has activated a crisis management group to monitor the situation and is “doing everything possible” to stabilise operations.
Hyderabad airport saw the highest impact, with 115 flights cancelled on Sunday, followed by 38 in Chennai and 11 in Amritsar. Since Tuesday, IndiGo has cancelled over 2,000 flights and delayed many more, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across airports and prompting widespread complaints.
Amid mounting chaos, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, seeking an explanation for what has become the worst aviation disruption India has witnessed in years. The regulator has asked the airline to detail the reasons behind the large-scale cancellations and the steps being taken to prevent further escalation.
In a rare intervention, the civil aviation ministry on Saturday directed IndiGo to clear all pending passenger refunds related to cancellations by 8 pm on December 7. With airfares surging sharply on domestic routes as stranded passengers scrambled for alternatives, the ministry also imposed fare caps to control prices and ensure availability.
Statement By IndiGo
The airline, releasing statements everyday, issued another one on December 7. It said:
"The Board of Directors of Interglobe Aviation Limited (IndiGo) met on the first day the problem of cancellations and delayed flights arose. The members received a detailed briefing from the Management on the nature and extent of the crisis.
This meeting was followed up with a session confined to only Board members at which, it was decided to set up a Crisis Management Group (CMG) comprising amongst others the Chairman, Vikram Singh Mehta; Board Directors, Gregg Saretsky, Mike Whitaker and Amitabh Kant, and the CEO Pieter Elbers.
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This Group has been meeting regularly to monitor the situation and is being constantly updated by the Management of the measures being undertaken to restore normal operations. In addition, there have been multiple telephonic discussions, including with Directors who are not members of the CMG.
The objective of these meetings and exchanges is to address, as quickly as practically possible, the hardships suffered by our customers and other stakeholders while also restoring operational integrity across the airline's network expeditiously.
The Board of Directors is doing everything possible to take care of the challenges faced by our customers and to ensure refunds on cancellation and offer waivers on cancellation/ rescheduling during the period of crisis."
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