IndiGo’s operational crisis has stretched into a second straight week, with flight cancellations continuing to affect across the country. Amid the rising backlash, IndiGo chairman dismissed speculation that the chaos was deliberate.
Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta, in an eight-minute video message on Wednesday repeatedly apologised and said the airline has brought in "external technical experts (will) work with the management; help determine the root causes, and ensure corrective action so that this level of disruption never occurs again".
The scale of the disruption has prompted a series of interventions from the DGCA and the government. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and his team have been summoned once again, with the regulator directing them to appear at its office at 3.00 pm on Thursday to present comprehensive data and outline measures being taken to stabilise operations, including accelerated pilot hiring to address crew shortages.
To ease capacity constraints, SpiceJet and Air India may operate an additional 160–170 flights daily. Meanwhile, DGCA teams will conduct inspections at 11 airports, including Nagpur, Jaipur, Bhopal, Vijayawada, Cochin, Lucknow, Amritsar, and Dehradun, to evaluate IndiGo’s operational readiness and assess the airline’s responsiveness during the ongoing disruption.
The crisis has created severe bottlenecks at airports, pushing airfares higher on other carriers and drawing widespread complaints over poor communication, long queues and baggage delays. The DGCA has issued show-cause notices to Elbers and chief operating officer Isidro Proqueras, who also serves as IndiGo’s Accountable Manager. Meanwhile, the civil aviation ministry has capped fares and directed the airline to cut flights in an effort to stabilise operations.
Flight cancellations today
IndiGo cancelled 60 flights from Bengaluru Airport on Thursday as the DGCA intensified its scrutiny of the airline.
"IndiGo has cancelled 60 flights -- 32 arrivals and 28 departures from Bengaluru Airport," a source was quoted as saying by PTI.
Meanwhile, Chennai airport has cancelled 36 IndiGo flights on Thursday, which included 24 departures and 12 arrivals.
Flight delays and cancellations also continued to disrupt operations at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday, with 18 flights, nine arrivals and nine departures, cancelled by 8.00 am.
Six flights were cancelled at Coimbatore Airport as well.
On Wednesday itself, IndiGo scrapped 220 flights across its three major hubs, Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, with Delhi accounting for the highest number of cancellations at 137.
While flight disruptions continue, IndiGo issued a travel advisory for Delhi Airport, noting that operations were running smoothly and on schedule, with all arrivals and departures operating as planned.
Flight prices today
According to MakeMyTrip, average fares on the Delhi–Bengaluru route on Thursday hovered around Rs 20,000, with prices ranging from Rs 18,000 to Rs 24,000. Air India tickets were even higher, averaging about ₹28,000.
Flights from Delhi to Kolkata also dropped in prices, beginning from Rs 16,000 and going up to Rs 28,000.
Flights from Mumbai to Kolkata were priced at around Rs 15,000, with return fares at roughly Rs 11,000. On the same route, Akasa Air tickets were about ₹16,000, while Air India fares went up to Rs 19,000.
Going from Delhi to Hyderabad stood at around Rs 20,000, while flying with Air India costs around Rs 23,000.
This is in comparison to the unprecedented fare surge seen on Friday, when IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights. Airline websites showed a one-way, one-stop SpiceJet economy ticket from Kolkata to Mumbai for December 6, climbing to Rs 90,000, while a similar Air India fare on the Mumbai–Bhubaneswar route reached Rs 84,485.
The government has intervened by imposing temporary fare caps on domestic routes, setting limits between Rs 7,500 and Rs 18,000 based on distance to rein in soaring ticket prices. According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, these ceilings exclude applicable charges and do not apply to business-class or UDAN flights. The order does not clarify whether premium economy is covered.
Under the notified structure, fares are capped at Rs 7,500 for flights up to 500 km, Rs 12,000 for routes between 500 and 1,000 km, Rs 15,000 for sectors between 1,000 and 1,500 km, and Rs 18,000 for distances above 1,500 km.
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