NewDelhi: IndiGo Flights Cancellation: Following days of chaos across India caused by the widespread cancellation of IndiGo flights, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has formed a four-member committee to review the disruptions. The cancellations left thousands of passengers stranded at airports, causing confusion and frustration.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol on Saturday informed about DGCA’s four-member committee.
The committee will look into issues like crew planning, operational readiness, and compliance with new flight duty time regulations to prevent such incidents in the future.
Mohol also assured that the Ministry is taking all necessary steps to ensure smooth travel for passengers.
In a post on X, Murlidhar Mohol wrote, “DGCA has constituted a four-member committee to review the factors behind the recent large-scale operational disruptions in IndiGo Airlines. The committee will assess gaps in crew planning, operational preparedness and compliance with revised FDTL norms to prevent such incidents in the future.”
IndiGo To Issue Refunds After Mass Cancellations
IndiGo announced that it will offer automatic refunds for all cancelled bookings and a complete waiver of cancellation or rescheduling charges for travel between December 5 and 15.
“No questions asked. In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment,” the X post read.
The airline added, “We will offer full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests of your bookings for travel between 5 December 2025 and 15 December 2025.”
The statement concluded with an apology, “We are deeply sorry for the hardships caused.”
IndiGo said further that it looks to operate over 1500 flights by the end of the day, confirming that there are some “early signs of improvement”.
Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) also directed the airline to clear all pending passenger refunds without delay.
According to an official release, the Ministry has mandated that the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be fully completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday, December 7.
The Ministry has also instructed airlines not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were impacted by cancellations. It emphasised that any delay or non-compliance in processing refunds will invite immediate regulatory action under the Ministry’s powers.
MoCA has directed IndiGo to ensure that all baggage separated from passengers due to cancellations or delays is traced and delivered to the passenger’s residential or chosen address.
IndiGo’s Flight Cancellation Chaos
ANI reported, citing airport data accessed on Saturday, that many major hubs reported significant cancellations by IndiGo.
1- Hyderabad Airport recorded 69 planned cancellations, including 26 arrivals and 43 departures.
2- At Delhi Airport, operated by GMR, 86 IndiGo flights were cancelled for the day, comprising 37 departures and 49 arrivals.
3- Ahmedabad Airport also reported disruptions, with 35 departures and 24 arrivals listed under planned cancellations.
4- At Kolkata Airport, 73 arrivals and 102 departures were scheduled for the day, of which 21 arrivals and 20 departures were cancelled.
Opposition’s ‘Monopoly’ Charge Amid IndiGo Fiasco
As the DGCA formed a committee, the opposition, on the other hand, targeted the Centre, attributing the fiasco to the government’s “monopoly model”, of which the common citizen of the country is paying the price.
As per ANI, addressing a press conference in Delhi, Congress MP Shashikant Senthil accused the government of not doing anything substantial to address the situation.
“This situation has been building for the past year and a half. The Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) regulations issued by the DGCA were first notified in January 2024 (or March 2024). Airlines had more than enough time to adapt to these guidelines, and we believe they are important. But what was the DGCA doing all this time, given that it was responsible for enforcing the rules and ensuring that airlines complied over the last two years?” Senthil said.
“These are its own guidelines, and it knew that a major airline, practically a monopoly/duopoly in the country, was not prepared. What was the Ministry doing, fully aware that this crisis was inevitable? It is not as if they were unaware. Yet the entire country was pushed into chaos, and all of this happened at a time when the President of Russia was visiting India. On one hand, they showcase Viksit Bharat; on the other, this is the reality unfolding before the world,” he added.
The Congress MP further questioned the Centre on allowing a duopoly to exist in the aviation sector.
Bureau Report
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