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Government Orders 10% Cut to IndiGo Flights as Crisis Triggers Deeper Oversight

The move follows rostering failures tied to tighter pilot rest rules, prompting probes and fare caps to protect passengers.

Overview

  • The Civil Aviation Ministry directed IndiGo to reduce planned operations by 10%, building on a DGCA order a day earlier to trim schedules by 5%, with a revised timetable due to the regulator by Dec. 10.
  • IndiGo says operations have stabilised and it is flying more than 1,800 services, targeting nearly 1,900, after internally cutting 400–500 flights to run an adjusted network across all 138 destinations.
  • Regulators issued show‑cause notices and launched an enforcement investigation, while senior officials were deployed to key airports to monitor on‑ground handling and passenger support.
  • The airline attributes the meltdown to planning gaps in implementing the second phase of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations, reporting a shortfall of about 65 captains under the new rest rules.
  • To shield consumers, DGCA capped fares on short and medium routes and asked other carriers to add capacity, as cancellations topped 4,500 overall with more than 400 reported on Tuesday; IndiGo reports Rs 827 crore in refunds and most delayed bags returned.