IndiGo flight disruptions enter fifth day, govt steps in on fare caps

Domestic flight cancellations and delays at IndiGo continued into a fifth consecutive day on Saturday, affecting tens of thousands of passengers across the country. Travellers faced long waiting times and steep last-minute fare increases amid the ongoing operational crisis.

The airline issued an apology on Friday, assuring passengers all cancelled flights would be fully refunded. IndiGo, India’s largest carrier with a fleet of over 400 aircraft and nearly 2,300 daily flights, has seen punctuality fall sharply due to an unforeseen shortage of pilots, officials said, citing planning shortcomings. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation.

With disruptions expected to continue for several more days, the Civil Aviation Ministry intervened on Saturday over concerns about unusually high ticket prices on certain routes. The ministry directed all airlines to adhere strictly to newly prescribed fare caps, which will remain in place until operations return to normal.

Amid rising passenger frustration, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said the situation showed early signs of improvement. “I said yesterday as well that we will have positive news within 24 hours. The positive news is here. The situation has improved a little today itself. Operations will be normal in 2–3 days,” he said, expressing confidence that airlines and aviation authorities are working swiftly to restore regular schedules.