IndiGo Flight Cancellations LIVE Updates: Airline restores 90% of flight operations, says MoS Civil Aviation Mohol

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About 90% of IndiGo’s flight operations have returned to normal, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said on Saturday.

When asked about the recent crisis faced by carrier IndiGo, Mohol said, “Air services will resume gradually in the country. Prime Minister Modi ji has issued instructions, and an explanation has been sought from IndiGo. About 90 per cent of their flight operations have returned to normal,” PTI reported.

According to an official statement by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) received on 9 December, the overall cancellations and delays have collectively affected more than three lakh passengers across India.

This underscores the scale of the crisis and the strain on airport operations nationwide.

IndiGo's widespread disruptions have resulted in 905 flight cancellations between 1-8 December.

During this period, the airline operated around 2,266 flights out of the 3,171 scheduled, according to an official statement by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).

If you made an online payment for your flight booking, the refund is processed back to the same card or payment method used, typically within 5–7 business days.

However, if you paid in cash, you have to visit the airport ticket counter where you made the booking. They will initiate the refund once you produce your valid flight ticket and ID proof.

Refunds for bookings made through agents or third-party portals should be processed by those agencies upon receiving a refund claim from the passenger.

Here are the full steps that you need to follow to claim your refund on a cancelled or delayed IndiGo booking:

— Open the official IndiGo website or mobile app and navigate to the “Manage Booking” option. Enter your PNR or booking reference and your last name to check the status of your flight.

— If the airline cancels your flight, you can either claim a full refund or rebook on the next available flight at no extra charge. For domestic flights delayed by more than six hours, you are entitled to choose between an alternate flight departing within six hours or a full refund.

— After assessing your situation, go to the IndiGo refund page and select “Cancellation / Refund for Cancelled Flight.” After that, just enter your PNR, email ID and passenger details, then submit the request.

Indigo, India's largest carrier, said it is in the process of "identifying flights where customers were severely impacted and stranded at airports on 3, 4, and 5 December" and will "reach out to all such customers in January so that compensation can be extended smoothly."

The airline reiterated its commitment to issuing refunds promptly.

"At this stage, our primary focus through December 2025 is ensuring that all refunds for affected customers are processed efficiently, expeditiously, and with the utmost urgency. Most of them have already been completed, and the remaining ones will reflect shortly," IndiGo said on X.

IndiGo is gradually stabilising after a chaotic period, operating over 2,050 flights on Saturday, 13 December with minimal cancellations. The airline has maintained its operational stability for five consecutive days, connecting all 138 destinations, IndiGo said in a press statement, ANI reported.

"All our 138 operational destinations are connected, and our on-time performance has been consistently normal as per IndiGo standards. In line with the operational update shared yesterday, we operated over 2,050 flights with only two cancellations, due to technical issues, with all affected customers reaccommodated in alternate flights immediately," the press statement said.

Regulator CCI is examining whether IndiGo has violated competition norms, a senior official told PTI on Friday.

This comes as the country's largest carrier faces regulatory scrutiny over significant flight disruptions.

IndiGo, which has a domestic market share of over 65%, cancelled hundreds of flights starting from December 2, however the situation is stabilising now.

While aviation safety regulator DGCA is probing the flight disruptions apart from stepping up the scrutiny of IndiGo's operations, there are concerns in certain quarters on whether the airline's dominant position could also have been a contributing factor, PTI reported.

Four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) were sacked from DGCA earlier amid the ongoing IndiGo flight cancellations crisis.

They were sacked due to alleged lapses in connection with the IndiGo crisis.

These officials, who come on deputation from various air operators, ensure aviation safety by inspecting, auditing, and certifying airlines and personnel, such as pilots, dispatchers, and cabin crew, to meet strict regulatory standards, verifying various regulations and overseeing training, flight standards, and accident prevention measures in India, said a PTI report.

An IndiGo flight experienced a tail strike while the aircraft was landing at the Ranchi airport, officials told PTI on Saturday.

The incident occurred at around 7.30 pm on Friday when the Bhubaneswar-Ranchi flight was making its final approach to the runway with nearly 70 passengers on board, they added.

IndiGo has appointed Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, a veteran Aviation Expert, to find out the "root cause analysis' of the recent operational disruptions in the airline.

The crisis affected thousands of air passengers across the country, especially in major urban hubs for air travel.

IndiGo said on Friday that it will pay more than ₹500 crore as compensation amount to customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure and who were left severely stranded at certain airports across the country.

In a statement released on X on Friday, the airline mentioned, "Our goal is to make this process (of refunds) as transparent, easy, and hassle-free as possible for you. We will be provided compensation which, in our current estimation, will be in excess of ₹500 crores to customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure time and/or to customers severely stranded at certain airports."

While IndiGo continues to be under intense regulatory scanner, including from the fair trade regulator CCI examining whether the airline violated competition norms, DGCA has sacked four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) for alleged lapses in connection with the IndiGo crisis.

An IndiGo flight suffered a tail strike while landing at the Ranchi airport, officials said on Saturday.

The incident happened around 7.30 pm on Friday when the Bhubaneswar-Ranchi flight was landing with around 70 passengers on board, they said.

"The tail of the aircraft touched the runway during landing. Passengers experienced a sudden jolt. However, they were all safe and unharmed," Ranchi airport Director Vinod Kumar told PTI.

Rajya Sabha member Vikramjit Singh Sahney on Friday requested the government to soon bring back the airline safety regulations, which were relaxed for Indigo.

Raising the issue during the Zero hour, AAP leader Sahney pointed out that there is a monopoly and duopoly situation in the aviation industry, which is not good for passengers.

"We cannot compromise with safety. So, this safety regulation should be brought back, maybe in a month," he said.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers appeared before the DGCA panel probing the operational disruptions for the second straight day on Friday. The regulator's high-level probe panel on Friday grilled Elbers and airline's Chief Operating Officer and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras for many hours. Sources told PTI that Elbers and Porqueras appeared before the four-member panel separately. Elbers and Porqueras spent around seven and five hours, respectively, before the panel, they added.

As part of its probe, the DGCA has also deployed two members from an 8-member oversight panel at IndiGo's Gurugram headquarters to monitor cancellation status, crew deployment, unplanned leave, and routes hit by staff shortages, among others.

As of Friday, 12 December, IndiGo operated more than 2,000 daily flights, as the airline said its focus remained on compensating passengers who were severely affected due to the IndiGo flight cancellations. Read more

Earlier on yestersay, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) called IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers to question him on the widespread cancellation of flights last week.

"Demonstrating continuous operational normalisation and stability since the last four days, IndiGo is set to operate over 2,000 flights today, as per its revised scaled-down schedule. All our 138 operational destinations are connected, and our on-time performance has been consistently normal as per IndiGo standards," the airline said in a statement.

“At this stage, our primary focus through December 2025 is ensuring that all refunds for affected customers are processed efficiently, expeditiously, and with the utmost urgency. Most of them have already been completed, and the remaining ones will reflect shortly,” IndiGo said.

Calling the order “erroneous”, IndiGo plans to contest it before the appropriate authorities.

“The Company believes that the order passed by the authorities is erroneous. Further, the Company believes that it has a strong case on merits, backed by advice from external tax advisors. Accordingly, the Company will contest the same before the appropriate authority,” the filing read.

The airline further assured that the order has no significant impact on the company's financials, operations, or other activities.

In fresh trouble for India's largest airline, IndiGo informed the stock exchanges that a penalty of nearly ₹59 crore linked to goods and services taxes (GST) has been imposed on the domestic carrier.

According to the filing issued on Friday, 12 December, the airline said that the additional Commissioner of CGST, Delhi South Commissionerate, has levied a fine of ₹58,74,99,439 for the financial year 2020-21. “The department has raised GST demand along with a penalty,” IndiGo noted. Read more

“We are currently in the process of identifying flights where customers were severely impacted and stranded at the airports (on 3/4/5 December 2025). We will be reaching out to all such customers in January so that compensation can be extended smoothly,” IndiGo said in a statement.

IndiGo said it operated over 2,000 flights on Friday as per its revised "scaled down" schedule.

Under the winter schedule, which commenced in the last week of October and will run through the last week of March next year, IndiGo was allowed to operate 15,014 flights per week, or 2,144 per day, on domestic routes.

IndiGo said on Friday that it has estimated the compensation amount will exceed ₹500 crore for customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure and who were left severely stranded at certain airports across the country.

IndiGo on Friday cancelled around 160 flights from two key airports, Delhi and Bengaluru, amid the operation chaos, PTI reported citing sources. On Thursday, the airline had cancelled over 200 flights from these two airports.

IndiGo announced that it is running more than 2,000 flights on Friday according to its updated, reduced schedule, reported PTI.

Under the winter timetable, effective from late October and continuing until the final week of March, the airline had approval to operate 15,014 weekly domestic flights, averaging about 2,144 per day.

Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday told Lok Sabha that while the government can intervene to impose caps on airfares during extraordinary circumstances, as seen in the recent IndiGo meltdown, it cannot cap airfares for the entire year, as ticket prices typically rise during the festive season. Naidu made the comments in Lok Sabha while speaking during a resolution calling for appropriate measures to regulate airfare in the country. Read here

IndiGo, in its statement, said it is set to operate over 2,000 flights today up from operating 1950 flights on Thursday (December 11). The airline has also appointed Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, a veteran Aviation Expert to find out the “root cause analysis of the recent operational disruption” which stranded thousands of passengers across the nation.

IndiGo has cancelled 159 flights on Friday from Delhi and Bengaluru, sources aware of the matter told news wire PTI. While the cancellations at Delhi were 105 – including 52 departures and 53 arrivals, the cancellations at Bengaluru airport totalled to 54 – including 31 arrivals and 23 departures, sources said.

IndiGo on Friday cancelled around 160 flights from two key airports, Delhi and Bengaluru, on Friday amid the on-going disruptions at the airline, PTI reported, citing sources. On Thursday, the airline had cancelled over 200 flights from these two airports.

IndiGo said that the company's board appointed veteran Aviation Expert Captain John Illson -led Chief Aviation Advisors LLC to carry out the "root cause analysis of the recent operational disruption" which left many passengers stranded. Read here

IndiGo's board on Friday announced the appointment of an external aviation expert to carry out a root-cause analysis of recent flight disruptions. Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, veteran aviation expert, has been appointed to conduct an independent expert review

The four-member Committee constituted by DGCA would examine the flight disruptions caused by IndiGo, which have created complete chaos at various airports.

— Fair trade watchdog CCI is examining whether IndiGo, violated competition norms

— DGCA sacks four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs)
— Special four-member Committee of DGCA to meet with IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers today

DGCA on Friday sacked four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) in connection with the IndiGo flight cancellation crisis. They are Rish Raj Chatterjee, Seema Jhamnani, Anil Kumar Pokhariyal, and Priyam Kaushik.

A senior official said that regulator CCI is examining whether IndiGo violated competition norms, reported news wire PTI

The Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday chaired a comprehensive review to assess Airline preparedness for the winter-fog season.

"Chaired a comprehensive review meeting today to assess preparedness for the upcoming fog window of the winter schedule with all key stakeholders including DGCA, AAI, airport operators, airlines and CISF. All stakeholders have been instructed to ensure full compliance, fix accountability and implement strict SOPs for fog operations. To maintain smooth operations, emphasis has to be laid on real-time data exchange, activation of war rooms and deployment of CAT-II/III compliant aircraft with qualified crew. Clear directions have been issued to ensure safe, seamless and well-coordinated operations, along with timely communication of updates to passengers to help them prepare well in advance. Each and every passenger is important and any instance of inconvenience will be addressed with clear accountability," the Minister post on X.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Friday held the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Civil Aviation equally responsible for the IndiGo flight operations crisis and said that an impact study should have been carried out before issuing a notification on Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).

Speaking to ANI, Karti Chidambaram said, "While the airline is primarily responsible, the DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation are also equally responsible, as they are the ones who gave the new notification on flight crew rest times. They should have conducted an impact study to see whether the airlines are capable of implementing it." (ANI)

Congress MP Mallu Ravi says, "We blame the Civil Aviation Minister. When Air India and other airlines followed the directions given by the Civil Aviation, but IndiGo did not. Why wasn't this done? And why wasn't it reviewed earlier?..."

Enhancing oversight, DGCA officials on Thursday began monitoring IndiGo's operations, refunds, and other processes from the airline's headquarters, sources told PTI.

They said the officials are expected to submit daily reports on the situation at the airline, which has been grappling with significant operational disruptions and the subsequent cancellation of thousands of flights due to planning failures related to the implementation of new pilot and crew duty norms.

DGCA on Friday suspended four flight Operations inspectors in relation to IndiGo’s recent flight disruptions, LiveMint has learnt.

IndiGo will offer travel vouchers worth ₹10,000 to such severely impacted customers over the past few days, and those vouchers can be used for any future IndiGo journey for the next 12 months, a spokesperson from the airline said Thursday.

This compensation is in addition to the commitment under the existing Government guidelines as per which, IndiGo will provide compensation of ₹5000 to ₹10,000 depending on the block time of the flight, to those customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure time, the spokesperson said in a statement. (ANI)

Enhancing oversight, DGCA officials on Thursday began monitoring IndiGo's operations, refunds, and other processes from the airline's headquarters, sources told PTI.

They said the officials are expected to submit daily reports on the situation at the airline, which has been grappling with significant operational disruptions and the subsequent cancellation of thousands of flights due to planning failures related to the implementation of new pilot and crew duty norms.

A special four-member Committee of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will meet with IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers on Friday, December 12, to question the latter on the widespread cancellation of flights in the last week. (PTI)

Flight disruptions at IndiGo was a chaos that compounded and snowballed possibly because somewhere along the line "too much arrogance and too much of self confidence" might have crept in, with the airline missing to read the tea leaves, according to veteran aviator Captain Gopinath. (PTI)