Normalcy is gradually returning to India’s airports as IndiGo flight cancellations drop below 850 on Saturday, after a week of widespread disruptions that left thousands of passengers stranded and ticket prices soaring.
The Centre has directed the airline to clear all pending passenger refunds by 8 pm on Sunday (December 7) and ensure that baggage separated due to cancellations or delays is delivered within 48 hours.
Union Civil Aviation Minister KR Mohan Naidu warned that those responsible for the crisis would be held accountable, following a serious review meeting with IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers. The disruptions, triggered by the implementation of the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms, saw over 1,600 cancellations on Friday and more than 800 on Saturday.
Passengers bore the brunt of the cancellations as fares for remaining flights surged, with Mumbai-Delhi tickets reportedly reaching Rs 51,860 and Delhi-Mumbai seats at Rs 48,972. The government, meanwhile, has kept FDTL orders in abeyance while monitoring airline operations closely.
Govt summons Airline’s CEO, COO: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday issued show cause notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and airline’s accountable manager who is also the airline’s COO Isidre Porqueras.
They both have to reply within 24 hours to the same.
The regulator’s notice is least to have pointed out that the main reason for for the flight disruptions was not preparing to implement the new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) that had come into force on Nov 1, 2025. The notice is learnt to say there were lapses in planning, oversight and resource management for the same which is violative of the rules.
Apart from these lapses, the notice also points out that IndiGo neither gave required information on flight cancellations to passenger, nor did it provide facilities that have to be mandatorily given in cases of cancellations and delays.