Centre to act tough against IndiGo to ‘set an example’

IndiGo’s operational meltdown stretched into the seventh straight day on Monday, with nearly 500 flights cancelled, fresh delays reported across major airports and the Civil Aviation Ministry disclosing refunds running into hundreds of crores as stranded passengers scrambled for alternatives and rival airlines stepped in to absorb the shock.

The government plans to take strict action against IndiGo to “set an example” for airlines that violate regulations, the Civil Aviation Minister said.

“We are not taking this situation lightly. We are doing an inquiry and will take very, very strict action... we will set an example for all the other airlines,” Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in reply to questions in the Rajya Sabha.

India’s largest airline has been grappling with mass cancellations and rescheduling since last Tuesday, triggering a cascading impact on travel plans nationwide. Despite assurances that operations are expected to stabilise by December 10, disruption remained severe on Monday, with IndiGo planning to operate 1,802 flights to 137 of its 138 destinations while cancelling close to 500 services for the day.

The knock-on effect was most visible at major hubs. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport recorded 134 cancellations, Bengaluru 127, Hyderabad 77 and Chennai 71, compounding passenger frustration amid long queues, missed connections and delayed baggage delivery. Of the nearly 9,000 bags impacted, only about 4,500 had been delivered so far, with the airline aiming to clear the remaining backlog within the next 36 hours.

The Civil Aviation Ministry, meanwhile, said IndiGo had submitted its response to the show-cause notice issued over the large-scale operational disruptions and flight cancellations across its network.

According to the ministry, the airline filed replies signed by both its Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Operating Officer on December 8 at 6.01 pm.

In its response, IndiGo has said it is “profusely apologetic” and deeply regrets the inconvenience and hardship caused to passengers. The airline attributed the disruption to what it described as a compounding effect of multiple factors that came together in an unfortunate and unforeseeable manner.

IndiGo has sought additional time to carry out a detailed root-cause analysis, stating that given the complexity and scale of its operations, it is not realistically possible to pinpoint the exact causes at this stage.

It pointed out that DGCA regulations allowed a 15-day timeline for replies to show-cause notices, and said a comprehensive root-cause report would be shared once completed.

As part of its preliminary assessment, IndiGo told the ministry that the disruption was triggered by a combination of factors, including minor technical glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions and increased congestion across the aviation system. It also cited challenges arising from the implementation of updated crew rostering norms under flight duty time limitations (FDTL), Phase II.

The airline claimed it provided timely passenger notifications and facilities such as meals, refreshments, hotels and local transport to the best extent possible, in line with the DGCA requirements, and that substantial refunds had already been processed. The ministry said the DGCA was currently examining IndiGo’s response and that enforcement action, if warranted, would be taken in due course.

The Civil Aviation Ministry sought to underline the scale of the disruption in official figures. It said between December 1 and December 7, as many as 5,86,705 PNRs were cancelled and refunded, involving a payout of Rs 569.65 crore. The cumulative impact since November 21 was even starker, with 9,55,591 PNRs cancelled and refunds amounting to Rs 827 crore.

As IndiGo passengers searched for alternate travel options, competitors found themselves stretched. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson thanked his staff for stepping up during what he described as an unusually intense period for the industry.

For IndiGo, the crisis marks one of the most sustained operational breakdowns in its history, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers within days. With cancellations continuing into a full week and refunds crossing Rs 800 crore, pressure is mounting on the airline to restore normalcy quickly and reassure flyers ahead of the peak travel season.

IndiGo said there had been “considerable and consistent improvement” across its network following the recent disruptions, with operations now moving steadily towards normalcy. In a detailed statement, the airline said it operated over 1,800 flights on the day, connecting all stations in its network, up from around 1,650 flights a day earlier.

In the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari asked whether the IndiGo crisis was caused by a fault in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that hit flight operations in November. Minister Naidu said the crisis was not related to the AMSS but was due to anomalies and mismanagement in the airline’s internal crew roster system.

Naidu said multiple stakeholders, including IndiGo, were consulted regarding the implementation of the FDTL. He said since November 1 when the rules came into effect, the DGCA had been in continuous consultation with all airlines, as they had requested certain exemptions due to variations in their operations.

“After thorough consultation and safety risk assessment, necessary variations and exemptions have been given beforehand,” Naidu said, adding that the crisis took place almost one whole month after the operation of the new FDTL.

When Maharashtra MP Milind Murli Deora said people were concerned about the market dominance of one player — Indigo — which has over 60 per cent market share, the minister said the government would engage with the necessary stakeholders and was already working continuously to encourage competition.