IndiGo Flight Cancellation: MoCA directs airline to trace, deliver passenger baggage within next two days

The DGCA has issued a show cause notice to the IndiGo CEO, that saw a week-long operational crisis, leaving thousands of passengers stranded nationwide and forcing the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights in a single day. giving him 24 hours to respond.

The notice cites, "large-scale operational failures indicating significant lapses in planning, oversight, and resource management..."

The Railways has announced 89 special trains to be operated in the next three days, starting Saturday, across all zones to help people facing travel disruptions due to the mass flight cancellations by IndiGo.

Appropriate action will be taken in the matter of IndiGo flight disruptions, depending on the inquiry panel's findings: Senior government official to PTI

IndiGo Airlines has cancelled 14 flights at Ranchi airport on Saturday. The Airlines had cancelled 62 flights at the Ahmedabad Airport and 146 at the Mumbai International Airport.

Status of IndiGo operations at Mumbai International Airport on 06.12.2025 (from 0000 hrs to 2000 hrs.):

Total cancellations - 146 flights

Cancellations: Arrivals - 70 flights, Departures - 76 flights

"I'm glad that the DGCA has issued a clear timeline and guidelines to airlines because consumers cannot be taken for a ride. While I was travelling from Delhi to Mumbai, the passenger seated next to me had paid Rs 55,000 for an economy ticket. In cases of medical emergencies or similar situations, airlines must understand that a fare cap of Rs 7,500 to Rs 18,000, depending on the distance, is only fair. If errors have occurred due to your pilots, your airline operations, or your technology systems, then you must be held accountable. And that is exactly what the Civil Aviation Ministry is doing," Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC speaks on DGCA's guidelines to airlines.

Aviation Expert Harsh Vardhan gave his views on the IndiGo flight disruptions. "Maybe the first two days they were caught unabashed. But now they are into the fifth day. Since the last two days, when the order was withdrawn or kept in abeyance, the least IndiGo is expected that it should have been working on a revised schedule and giving information the previous evening, what flights are going to operate the next day, what are going to be cancelled, what are going to be rescheduled.

"At the moment, it is an 'only God will help you' kind of situation. Yet there has been no concrete step taken by IndiGo to address the grievances of passengers. They are made to run from pillar to post. Some people have connecting flights which may not be of IndiGo. They are going to lose heavily on those because you have to consequently cancel them.

"The Ministry should have intervened and at least called other operators and told them this is a national emergency, please help each other and if there are people who are losing their sectors because of IndiGo's primary failure, be kind and refund their tickets or allow them to reschedule... But nothing has been happening here. Neither the ministry is taking any serious effort to address people's grievances, nor the IndiGo management is taking any initiative in this field," he said.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Saturday ordered IndiGo to trace and deliver all passenger baggage separated due to flight cancellations or delays within the next 48 hours. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu also directed the airline to clear all pending refunds for disrupted or cancelled flights by 8 PM on December 7.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday mandated strict maximum fare ceilings for all domestic economy-class flights. Officials said the move was essential to safeguard passengers after days of mass cancellations and capacity shortages triggered by IndiGo’s operational crisis. The new fare limits effective immediately are based on distance bands. Read the full story here. 

Commenting on IndiGo flight cancellations across the country, Nitin Jadhav, President of the Indian Association Council of Aviation, said the airline’s management not the pilots is responsible for the ongoing disruptions. He alleged that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is supporting the airline and called for a CBI inquiry into both IndiGo and the regulator. Jadhav claimed there is a “hidden agenda” behind the situation and accused the DGCA of failing to perform its duties properly.

IndiGo’s operations at Ahmedabad Airport on 6 December 2025 continued to face major disruptions, with a significant number of planned cancellations between 0001 IST and 2359 IST. According to the latest update, 37 departures and 25 arrivals were cancelled, bringing the total planned cancellations for the day to 62.

Air India and Air India Express said that, since 4 December, economy-class fares on non-stop domestic flights have been proactively capped to prevent automated revenue systems from applying usual demand-and-supply pricing. The airlines noted that screenshots circulating online show higher last-minute fares for one-stop or two-stop itineraries, or mixes of economy, premium economy, and business cabins offered by third-party platforms. They explained that it is not technically possible to cap every such fare combination, but said they are in touch with these platforms to ensure better oversight. An Air India spokesperson added that both airlines are working to increase capacity so passengers and their baggage can reach their destinations as quickly as possible.

IndiGo has announced a complete waiver on all cancellation and rescheduling fees for passengers scheduled to fly between 5 and 15 December 2025. The move comes as part of the airline’s response to the ongoing crisis affecting travel plans across the region. Read the full story here. 

Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring says, "First it should be explained why this cancellation happened? Thousand flights mean something... This is a huge lapse... The Aviation Ministry has nothing today. Tata runs Air India with Vistara today... Crew members of ATR, with a fleet of only 20 aeroplanes, are getting Rs 40,000... 12 aircrafts are down... The government should be asked about this."

Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil says, "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?"

IndiGo passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai lose their cool and get into a heated argument with the airline staff at the ticket counter.

As the IndiGo crisis entered its fifth day with over 400 flight cancellations on Saturday continuing to affect thousands of passengers for another day, the Centre stepped in with a strict advisory for airlines against increasing airfares as fliers opt for alternatives to manage their travel plans. Click here to read more.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed IndiGo to clear all pending passenger refunds without delay. The Ministry has mandated that the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be fully completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday, 7 December 2025. Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations. The Ministry has clarified that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will invite immediate regulatory action.

CPI General Secretary D Raja says, "This should be a lesson for the government and the people that if you allow monopoly companies to emerge, this is what we experience... The price of airline tickets are increasing, how will passengers face this situation? Government should own the responsibility for such a crisis in the country."

Passengers wait at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi as IndiGo chaos continues.

"Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken serious note of concerns regarding unusually high airfares being charged by certain airlines during the ongoing disruption. In order to protect passengers from any form of opportunistic pricing, the Ministry has invoked its regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes. An official directive has been issued to all airlines mandating strict adherence to the fare caps that have now been prescribed. These caps will remain in force until the situation fully stabilises. The objective of this directive is to maintain pricing discipline in the market, prevent any exploitation of passengers in distress, and ensure that citizens who urgently need to travel — including senior citizens, students, and patients — are not subjected to financial hardship during this period," the government said.

In view of the surge in passenger demand following widespread flight cancellations, the Indian Railways has deployed 116 additional coaches in 37 premium trains operating over 114 enhanced trips across the country. A press statement from the Railway Ministry said that the Southern Railway has carried out the highest number of augmentations, enhancing capacity in 18 trains. Click here to read more.

IndiGo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers on Friday apologised to passengers for the fiasco and said that the airline was expecting fewer than 1,000 flights on Saturday.

Like all other places across India, passengers at the Chandigarh airport have also faced trouble due to IndiGo cancelling multiple flights. 

Passengers wait in queues to enquire about flight status at Chennai airport.

Jammu airport wears a deserted look as several IndiGo flights get cancelled amid the nationwide flight disruption of the airline.

CPI(M) MP John Brittas has criticised the government over the IndiGo fiasco and called it an 'organised loot', claiming that it happened with the knowledge of the Centre. 

"Lakhs of helpless passengers have been looted, and both airlines have amassed money. IndiGo too is profiting. This duopoly exists with the government’s blessing. We warned that it would create hardship for customers," he told PTI.

Passengers queue up at IndiGo counter at Chennai International Airport.

After IndiGo cancelled 1,000 flights on Friday, Delhi Airport issued an advisory stating that IndiGo’s flight operations are now steadily resuming and getting back to normalcy. It also advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving home. Click here to read more.

At the Pune International Airport, 42 flights - 14 arrivals and 28 departures - have been cancelled so far on Saturday.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu has said that the situation arising from IndiGo flight delays and cancellations is improving and that waiting at airports is expected to end from tomorrow. He added that a committee has been set up to examine the disruption and identify what went wrong. Click here to read more.

So far, the IndiGo - the country's largest airline - has cancelled more than 400 flights across India on Saturday. 

NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule said on Saturday that a debate should be held in the Parliament over the IndiGo crisis. 

"We condemn what happened to IndiGo. Govt of India should issue an official statement in the Parliament and there should be an inquiry... You can see the condition that has been there for the past two days," she said.

At the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, the airline has cancelled 69 flights (Arrivals - 26, Departures - 43)

IndiGo has cancelled around 109 flights (Arrivals: 51, Departures: 58) at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.

At the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi, IndiGo has cancelled a total of 106 flights - 54 departures and 52 arrivals. 

The passengers have continued to suffer on Saturday, with IndiGo continuing to cancel its flights across the country.