Temporary Fare Caps Imposed Amid IndiGo Flight Disruptions
Government Takes Action on Airline Pricing
On Saturday, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation announced temporary fare caps on airline tickets due to ongoing disruptions in IndiGo's domestic services, which have now persisted for five days.
The ministry emphasized that any violations of these fare regulations would lead to immediate corrective measures in the interest of the public.
Additionally, IndiGo has been instructed to expedite the processing of all outstanding passenger refunds, with a deadline set for 8 PM on Sunday for all cancelled or disrupted flights.
As the largest airline in India by market share, IndiGo cancelled over 400 flights across four major airports on Saturday, according to reports.
The previous day, all domestic flights from Delhi were cancelled until midnight, affecting services in other cities and leaving many passengers stranded.
This reduction in IndiGo's operational capacity has resulted in increased domestic airfares across various airlines.
The ministry noted its serious concern regarding the “unusually high airfares” being charged by some airlines during this disruption.
To protect travelers from exploitative pricing, the ministry has utilized its regulatory authority to ensure fair and reasonable fares on all impacted routes.
These fare caps will remain in effect until the situation normalizes.
Furthermore, IndiGo has been directed to establish dedicated support and refund facilitation teams for passengers.
The airline must also ensure that any baggage separated from passengers due to cancellations or delays is located and returned within 48 hours.
These measures were implemented following the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's recent withdrawal of its instructions regarding weekly rest for airline crew members.
The regulator stated that the previous provision, which mandated that “no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest,” required reassessment due to the disruptions and requests from airlines for operational stability.
This order was rescinded after a pilot and crew shortage led to widespread flight cancellations at IndiGo starting Tuesday. The airline had not adequately adjusted its roster to comply with new government regulations.
In January 2024, revised rostering guidelines were set to be introduced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to address pilot fatigue, with an intended implementation date of June 1, 2024. However, airlines requested a delay due to staffing shortages, and the significant changes were ultimately rolled out on November 1.
IndiGo had sought relief from certain provisions that restrict pilot duty hours at night.
On Friday, the regulator granted IndiGo a one-time exemption from night-duty regulations for pilots.
Later that day, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced that the Union government would conduct a high-level inquiry into the ongoing disruptions.
IndiGo issued an apology on Friday, acknowledging that while the situation “will not be resolved overnight,” efforts are underway to restore normal operations.
The airline stated that Friday would likely see the highest number of cancellations as it works to reboot its systems and schedules for “progressive improvement” starting the following day.
IndiGo also mentioned that it would automatically process refunds for cancellations and provide a full waiver for cancellations and rescheduling requests made between December 5 and December 15.
In response to the surge in passenger demand following the widespread cancellation of IndiGo flights, the South Central Railway announced it would operate four special trains to accommodate travelers heading to Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata from Hyderabad.
The Northern Railway has also added extra coaches to popular routes and is running special trains to high-demand destinations.