Government orders 10% reduction in operations: 5 key updates on IndiGo flight cancellations

IndiGo continued to face criticism as flight disruptions entered their eighth consecutive day, with over 400 cancellations across major cities. In parallel, the Centre ordered the airline to curtail its operations by 10 percent.

The CEO of IndiGo was summoned by the civil aviation ministry to provide an update on the ongoing situation.

Earlier in the day, the CEO released a video statement on the airline’s social media account, informing that it is “back on its feet,” adding that its “operations are stable.” The airline chief once again expressed that he is “profusely apologetic” about the inconvenience these disruptions caused to passengers.

IndiGo Flight Disruptions | 5 Key Updates

• Over 400 cancellations: IndiGo reportedly cancelled more than 400 flights, with Delhi and Bengaluru being the cities worst-affected by the disruptions. From Delhi alone, 152 flights were cancelled, 121 from Bengaluru, 58 from Hyderabad, 41 from Chennai, 16 from Ahmedabad, 4 from Thiruvananthapuram, and 3 from Mumbai. Since the beginning of the mass cancellations, nearly 5,000 flights have been cancelled.
• Govt orders 10% operations cut: The civil aviation ministry noted that IndiGo has not demonstrated an ability to operate its winter and summer schedules efficiently and thus directed the airline to reduce operations. The aviation minister said the ministry considered it necessary to curtail IndiGo’s overall routes, as it would help stabilise the airline’s operations and lead to reduced cancellations. “While abiding by it, IndiGo will continue to cover all its destinations as before,” the minister added. Earlier in the day, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an order directing IndiGo to curtail its operations by 5 percent. However, due to operational constraints, the ministry doubled the curtailment to a “minimum 10%.”
• Restoration of network done on war footing: The CEO of IndiGo once again apologised for the disruptions in the airline’s operations and assured that the restoration of its network and flights “was being done on a war footing.” He said the airline is now back on its feet and its operations are stable. He was informed that hundreds of thousands of customers have already received full refunds, and said the rest are being processed daily. He also said most bags stuck at airports have been delivered to passengers, adding that the remaining ones would also be delivered very soon. The airline boss said IndiGo’s flight operations have also improved over the last couple of days.
• IndiGo plans to fly 1,900 flights: Providing data on its operations, IndiGo said it was operating more than 1,800 flights, connecting all 138 stations in its network. The airline said it plans to fly nearly 1,900 flights the following day. “We have optimised our operations, and our on-time performance is also back to normal levels. We have also automated the procedure for our customers to get full refunds upon cancellations (with ‘no questions asked’) through a simple process on our website,” it said in a press statement.
• PM on IndiGo flight cancellations: The Prime Minister told MPs that people should not be troubled or face inconvenience due to the operational chaos. “Rules and laws are good, but in order to correct the system, it is not right to harass people,” a minister told reporters.