New Delhi, December 6, 2025: India’s aviation sector faced another turbulent day on Saturday as IndiGo continued to cancel and delay flights across major airports, deepening a travel crisis that has now entered its fifth consecutive day. With over 400 domestic flights cancelled today, thousands of passengers remained stranded at airports nationwide despite round-the-clock efforts by authorities and the airline to stabilise operations.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a fresh set of directives to protect passengers, including caps on airfares and a strict order to IndiGo to clear all pending refunds without delay, warning that non-compliance will lead to regulatory action.
🔹 Government Steps In: Airfare Caps & Refund Deadline
Amid concerns that airlines were charging unusually high fares on affected routes, the government invoked regulatory powers to impose temporary fare caps.
The official statement said:
“To protect passengers from opportunistic pricing during the ongoing disruption, airlines are mandated to follow the prescribed fare caps until the situation stabilises.”
The ministry also directed IndiGo to:
- Complete all pending refunds by 8 pm on Sunday, December 7
- Waive rescheduling charges for impacted passengers
- Deliver separated baggage within 48 hours
Any violation will lead to immediate corrective action, the ministry cautioned.
🔹 Flight Cancellations Nationwide
IndiGo cancelled 405 domestic flights today, severely affecting travellers at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
Key airport disruptions
Location Departures Cancelled Arrivals Cancelled Bengaluru (KIA) 63 61 Ahmedabad (midnight–6 am) 12 7 Thiruvananthapuram 3 3
Delhi Airport said operations were “steadily resuming” but advised passengers to check flight status before leaving home.
🔹 Railways Adds Extra Coaches to Accommodate Stranded Flyers
With thousands of passengers turning to trains after failed flight plans, the Indian Railways deployed 116 additional coaches across 37 premium trains, covering 114 trips across different zones.
Breakup of railway action:
- Southern Railway: Augmentation in 18 trains
- Northern Railway: Expansion in 8 trains
Both Sleeper and AC Chair Car coaches have been added on popular high-travel corridors.
🔹 Airlines Respond: SpiceJet Adds Extra Flights
To absorb affected passengers, SpiceJet added multiple additional departures from Mumbai on key routes including: Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Goa, Jaipur, Udaipur, Patna, Ahmedabad, Pune and Dubai.
Chairman Ajay Singh said the airline will operate 100 additional flights over the next few days.
🔹 Why the Crisis Began
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the disruption stemmed from IndiGo’s planning gaps while implementing new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) rules for pilots.
While the new norms were designed to improve pilot safety and fatigue management, the regulator stated that IndiGo failed to prepare sufficiently in advance.
To stabilise the situation, IndiGo has been given temporary exemption from the night-duty FDTL rules until February 10, 2026 — a move criticised by the ** Airline Pilots’ Association (ALPA)**, which called it unsafe.
🔹 IndiGo’s Response
CEO Peter Elbers apologised to customers, acknowledging the magnitude of the crisis.
“We cancelled over 1,000 flights yesterday alone. We sincerely apologise to our customers. Operations should return to normal between December 10 and 15,” Elbers said.
🔹 Political Reactions
The aviation crisis has triggered a wide range of responses from political leaders:
- Karti Chidambaram blamed both the DGCA and IndiGo for failing to prepare for crew-rest regulations.
- Rajeev Shukla called the soaring fares “a loot” and demanded additional Air India and Akasa flights.
- P. Chidambaram pointed to a “duopoly” in the aviation market, arguing that excessive reliance on two mega-carriers poses systemic risks.
- Dimple Yadav criticised the sudden fare hike and urged government intervention.
🔹 Passengers Face Chaos on the Ground
Travellers shared common complaints:
- Long queues and hours-long waits
- Lack of real-time information
- Non-functional customer care lines
- Confusion around refunds and rescheduling
Actor Sonu Sood, who also experienced delays, urged passengers not to harass ground staff:
“Those people are helpless too — they themselves don’t know whether the flights will take off.”
What Happens Next
- Refunds must be completed by December 7
- Airfare caps remain until operations normalise
- Government probe to identify lapses is underway
- IndiGo estimates full stabilisation between December 10 and 15
Until then, passengers are advised to:
- Check flight status before travelling to the airport
- Avoid rescheduling fees (now waived)
- Make use of alternate travel options including Indian Railways