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IndiGo Turmoil Enters Day Five as Government Caps Fares, Orders Refunds and DGCA Probes

Regulators granted limited exemptions to pilot duty limits to steady operations following IndiGo’s planning failures.

Overview

  • IndiGo scrapped well over 1,000 flights on Friday with Delhi halting all departures, and hundreds more were cancelled on Saturday as queues and delays persisted nationwide.
  • The civil aviation ministry imposed temporary fare ceilings on affected routes, ordered automatic refunds with a Sunday 8 pm deadline, and directed IndiGo to set up dedicated passenger-support and refund cells.
  • The DGCA constituted a four-member committee to review crew-management lapses under new FDTL rules, with a report due in about two weeks that could trigger enforcement action.
  • Temporary relief from night-duty and weekly-rest provisions was approved to rebuild capacity, while Indian Railways added extra coaches and special trains to carry displaced travellers.
  • CEO Pieter Elbers apologised, offered full waivers on cancellations and rescheduling through December 15, and projected a return to normal operations between December 10 and 15.