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India Caps Airfares, Orders Refunds as IndiGo Disruption Enters Fifth Day

Regulators are easing pilot duty limits to restore capacity following findings that IndiGo misplanned under the new rest rules.

Overview

  • Disruptions entered a fifth day on Saturday with roughly 400 cancellations reported by afternoon across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other hubs.
  • The Civil Aviation Ministry imposed temporary fare caps, ordered automatic refunds and hotel support, and directed IndiGo to clear all pending refunds by 8 pm on Sunday.
  • DGCA granted temporary relief from parts of the FDTL rules, including a one‑time night‑duty exemption until February 10, 2026, and withdrew its bar on counting leave toward weekly rest.
  • A four‑member DGCA committee will report within 15 days on causes and accountability after the regulator cited IndiGo’s failures in forecasting crew availability, training and rostering.
  • IndiGo apologised, offered a full waiver on cancellations and rescheduling for travel between December 5 and 15, and projected normal operations between December 10 and 15 as Indian Railways added extra coaches and special trains.