1. Over 5.86 lakh passengers were affected by IndiGo’s recent flight cancellations, with ₹569 crore refunded, the civil aviation minister informed Parliament.
2. The minister acknowledged widespread inconvenience and detailed the scale of disruptions over the past few days.
3. He said the government wants more competition in aviation, noting that India has the capacity for five major airlines and is encouraging new entrants to reduce IndiGo’s dominance.
More than 5.86 lakh passengers have been affected by IndiGo’s large-scale flight cancellations over the past few days, Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Responding to a query on the surge in airfares amid nationwide disruptions, the minister said that IndiGo has issued refunds amounting to ₹569 crore.
“Regret the inconvenience to those who were traveling in the last two-three days. We have 5,86,705 cancellations for which ₹569 crore have been given,” he said, acknowledging the widespread travel disruptions caused by the airline’s operational crisis.
Separately, addressing concerns over IndiGo’s dominant market share—currently over 60 per cent—Naidu said the government is actively encouraging greater competition in the aviation sector. Responding to MP Milind Deora, he noted that India has the potential to support five major airlines and that fostering new entrants remains a priority for the ministry.
“I want more players in the industry. India today has a capacity of five big airlines, and that has been an effort from the ministry to encourage more airlines,” he said.
The remarks come as IndiGo continues to grapple with crew shortages and cascading operational disruptions, resulting in cancellations, delays, and mounting public criticism.
IndiGo’s flight disruptions stretched into a seventh day on Monday, with the airline cancelling 127 services at Bengaluru Airport, even as the aviation regulator pressed top management for explanations over the continuing breakdown in operations.
According to PTI, a source at Bengaluru Airport said the cancellations included 65 arrivals and 62 departures. The scale of disruption has triggered mounting criticism from passengers and the government, with the Gurugram-based carrier, partly owned by Rahul Bhatia, struggling to stabilise schedules since 2 December.
PTI reported that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has extended the deadline for IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras to respond to its show-cause notices. The two executives were initially asked to reply within 24 hours after the regulator, in notices issued on Saturday, said the widespread operational failures indicated “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management”. The regulator has now given them time until 6 pm on Monday.
The airline has attributed the mass cancellations to adjustments required under the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, introduced nationwide in two stages on 1 July and 1 November. The updated rules mandate 48 hours of weekly rest, extend overnight duty periods, and cap night landings at two instead of six. Domestic carriers, including IndiGo and Air India, had earlier opposed parts of the framework, but the DGCA rolled them out on the direction of the Delhi High Court, albeit a year later than planned and with some variations for IndiGo and Air India.
