New Delhi: The Centre has ordered IndiGo to reduce its overall flight operations by 10 percent following a week of nationwide disruptions that caused widespread delays, cancellations and passenger grievances. The decision came after Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu met IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers to review the airline’s stabilisation efforts.
The minister said recent disruptions were the result of internal lapses linked to crew rostering, flight scheduling and inadequate communication. He noted that while an inquiry is underway, the scale of inconvenience required immediate intervention. Elbers was called to the ministry to provide a status update, confirming that all refunds for flights affected until December 6 had been processed. Instructions were issued to accelerate pending refunds and baggage deliveries.
According to the minister, the temporary reduction in routes is aimed at restoring operational stability and reducing further cancellations. IndiGo will continue to serve all its destinations, but with fewer overall frequencies. The airline has also been directed to comply fully with fare controls and passenger-assistance guidelines without exception.
To monitor the situation, the ministry has deployed senior officers to major airports for comprehensive on-ground evaluations. Their assessment covers congestion levels, queue management, deployment of airline staff, functioning of help desks, baggage handling and the quality of passenger communication. Most inspections have been completed, with the rest scheduled over the next few days.
In a video message, Elbers said operations were improving steadily and that refund processing and baggage deliveries were continuing daily. He stated that most stranded bags had already reached passengers’ homes and assured that customer needs were being addressed promptly.
The operational crisis has led to more than 400 cancellations nationwide. Delhi witnessed the highest impact with 152 flights cancelled, while Bengaluru recorded 121. Other major hubs including Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Patna also faced significant disruption, though Thiruvananthapuram remained minimally affected.
The government maintains that the curtailment and heightened oversight will help restore normalcy and ensure passengers receive timely support during the recovery phase.
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