The DGCA has formed a 4-member committee to probe massive IndiGo flight disruptions. The opposition has blamed the government's 'Monopoly model' for the chaos. IndiGo has offered automatic refunds and is working to restore its network.
Following days of disruptions across IndiGo's network that led to thousands of people stranded across the country, the Director General of Aviation (DGCA) formed a four-member committee to review the disruptions. The opposition targeted the Centre, attributing the fiasco to the government's "Monopoly model", of which the common citizen of the country is paying the price.
Widespread Cancellations Across Major Airports
According to airport data accessed on Saturday, several major hubs reported significant cancellations by IndiGo. Hyderabad Airport recorded 69 planned cancellations, including 26 arrivals and 43 departures. At Delhi Airport, operated by GMR, 86 IndiGo flights were cancelled for the day, comprising 37 departures and 49 arrivals. Ahmedabad Airport also reported disruptions, with 35 departures and 24 arrivals listed under planned cancellations. At Kolkata Airport, 73 arrivals and 102 departures were scheduled for the day, of which 21 arrivals and 20 departures were cancelled. As of 0900 hrs, the airport recorded 22 departures and 14 arrivals as actual movements.
DGCA Forms Committee to Probe Disruptions
Intervening in the matter, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol on Saturday said that the DGCA has set up a four-member committee to review the operational disruptions in IndiGo Airlines. The committee will look into issues like crew planning, operational readiness, and compliance with new flight duty time regulations to prevent such incidents in the future. Mohol also assured that the Ministry is taking all necessary steps to ensure smooth travel for passengers.
In a post on X, Murlidhar Mohol wrote, "DGCA has constituted a four-member committee to review the factors behind the recent large-scale operational disruptions in IndiGo Airlines. The committee will assess gaps in crew planning, operational preparedness and compliance with revised FDTL norms to prevent such incidents in the future."
IndiGo Announces Refunds, Reboots Network
Meanwhile, to ease the situation, IndiGo announced that it will offer automatic refunds for all cancelled bookings and a complete waiver of cancellation or rescheduling charges for travel between December 5 and 15. "No questions asked. In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment," the X post read. The airline added, "We will offer full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests of your bookings for travel between 5 December 2025 and 15 December 2025." The statement concluded with an apology, "We are deeply sorry for the hardships caused."
IndiGo said further that it looks to operate over 1500 flights by the end of the day, confirming that there are some "early signs of improvement".
In a statement, the airlines said that it cancelled a significant number of flights on December 5 while operating just over 700 services to 113 destinations as part of a large-scale system reboot. The airline said the reset was essential to stabilise operations, improve schedules, and begin Saturday with a stronger network.
"Addressing the recent disruptions in our network, we had cancelled a significant number of flights and operated little above 700 flights yesterday connecting 113 destinations," an IndiGo Spokesperson said in an official statement. "The main objective was to reboot the network, systems, and rosters so that we could start afresh today with higher number of flights, improved stability, and there are some early signs of improvement. Today, we are on our way to operate over 1,500 flights by end of day," it said. The airline also said that over 95% of its network connectivity has now been restored, with operations resuming to 135 out of its total 138 destinations. "With regards to destinations, over 95% of network connectivity has already been re-established as we are able to operate to 135 out of the existing 138 destinations in operations," the airline spokesperson added.
Aviation Ministry Issues Directives to IndiGo
Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) also directed IndiGo Airlines to clear all pending passenger refunds without delay. According to an official release, the Ministry has mandated that the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be fully completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday, December 7. The Ministry has also instructed airlines not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were impacted by cancellations. It emphasised that any delay or non-compliance in processing refunds will invite immediate regulatory action under the Ministry's powers.
To ensure seamless grievance redressal, IndiGo has been instructed to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells.
The Ministry has directed IndiGo to ensure that all baggage separated from passengers due to cancellations or delays is traced and delivered to the passenger's residential or chosen address within the next 48 hours. Airlines have been told to maintain clear communication with passengers regarding tracking and delivery timelines, and to provide compensation where required under existing passenger rights regulations.
Opposition Slams Centre Over 'Monopoly Model'
However, the opposition has come out strongly against the centre and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, alleging that it was ill-prepared for this. In a press conference in the national capital, Congress MP Shashikant Senthil accused the government of not doing anything substantial to address the situation.
"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?" Senthil said.
"These are its own guidelines, and it knew that a major airline, practically a monopoly/duopoly in the country, was not prepared. What was the Ministry doing, fully aware that this crisis was inevitable? It is not as if they were unaware. Yet the entire country was pushed into chaos, and all of this happened at a time when the President of Russia was visiting India. On one hand, they showcase Viksit Bharat; on the other, this is the reality unfolding before the world," he added.
The Congress MP further questioned the Centre on allowing a duopoly to exist in the aviation sector.
Congress Leader P Chidambaram described the widespread flight cancellations, especially of IndiGo, as a consequence of what he termed a duopolistic market. In a post, the Congress veteran backed the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who had on various occasions opposed duopoly in businesses. "Mr Rahul Gandhi was spot on when he said that the monopoly/duopoly model is ill-suited for a developing country," Chidambaram wrote on X.
Duopoly prevails in many sectors of the Indian economy; the airline industry is one, the veteran Congress leader said. "Liberalisation and Open Economy are based on competition. Absent competition, there will be baneful consequences as we are witnessing now in the airline industry. People must ponder over HOW a vibrant and competitive airline industry in India was reduced to a two-player business, and WHY," he further wrote.
Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar claimed that IndiGo airline's nationwide disruption is the "worst aviation" meltdown in India's history, further attributing the "fiasco" to the Centre's monopoly model. In his X post, Shivakumar said, "India is witnessing the worst aviation meltdown in its history. Thousands of flights cancelled - leaving our people stranded everywhere. The IndiGo fiasco is the direct result of the Govt's monopoly model. And as always, it is ordinary Indians who are paying the price. "
Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary D Raja criticised the IndiGo flight cancellations that left thousands of passengers stranded nationwide, and said that the situation shows how allowing one company to dominate the airline sector creates problems for travellers. He said the government must take responsibility as ticket prices keep rising and passengers struggle to cope. Speaking to ANI, Raja said, "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..."
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised IndiGo Airlines, saying the crisis reflected the dangers of monopoly and duopoly in India's private aviation sector. "IndiGo has captured the entire market, its market share is more than 60%. The inconvenience they have caused the passengers - neither food nor water was provided to passengers, and they were not being given any information. Even the IndiGo staff had to face difficulty as they were receiving no information from the management. It is they who were facing the anger of the public. So, it is unfortunate. IndiGo management should take cognisance of this...Even the Government seemed helpless...So, this is a lesson to the Govt that in the time to come, such monopoly and duopoly should not be created," Chaturvedi told ANI.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule strongly condemned the recent disruption of IndiGo flights, urging the Government of India to provide an official statement in Parliament and initiate an inquiry into the matter. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)